Puppy love
by Darious Frost
Summary: What if Naruto was taken in by the Inuzukas after Kiba brought the "stray" home with him and was trained by Tsume and Jiraiya's SECOND apprentice? Not a god-like Naruto, nor will he be an idiot, possible lemon/lime later on. Naruto/Hana, OC/Shizune
1. Chapter 1: The Fox Hound

Here it is people, my 3rd go at being an author, most of you will notice that this is NOT a tragedy like my other works. I hope you like it.

Oh, and I don't own anyone but Darious and some ideas... don't go suing me, you'll only get my bills out of it!

Chapter 1: The Fox Hound

The sun was coming up over Konohagakure, The village hidden in the leaves, it was another warm, clear day in the mostly peaceful village. Most people were quietly getting up and getting ready for their day, some getting ready to open their shops, few getting ready to go tend to their modest crop fields. This quietness covered most of the village... except for one compound in the city, the home of the Inuzuka family, where loud, boisterous laughter and the barking of dogs filled the air. This laughter was caused by two 12 year old boys, one Kiba Inuzuka, and one Naruto Uzumaki.

The boys were in the back yard of the main house rolling and tussling with the ninken after feeding and watering said dogs. They had been running around and playing with the dogs for nearly 20 minutes before they heard the loud shout of Tsume Inuzuka, the clan head, and Kiba's mother. "Alright pups, get up and get ready, you're gonna be late to the exams, and I will NOT have you boys repeating this exam again!" Her voice held a tough, take no shit edge to it, but the boys both knew that she cared for the both of them deeply. Even though Naruto was not an Inuzuka, she treated him as if he were Kiba's twin brother, one of her own litter ever since Kiba had brought the boy home from the playground years ago.

**(Flashback) **

Tsume was in the den of their home going over some papers for the clan and a report from the academy regarding her eldest child, Hana. With as much as she and Kiba tussled at home, she was happy to find it was only papers concerned about the 3 gray puppies that were her partners that seemed to enjoy sneaking under the teachers desk and licking his toes instead of staying seated with their "master" as he put it. Tsume was drawn from her papers by the loud bang of the front door being nearly thrown from its hinges and the loud shout of "MOM I'M HOME AND I HAVE A NEW FRIEND!" This shout belonged to her youngest, her son Kiba. Storming out of the den and into the kitchen to find two dirty 7 year old boys with mud tracked into the kitchen with the door standing wide open being them. To her surprise, her son's new friend was a great surprise to her. She knew exactly who the boy was and had to hide her sad smile. The messy little boy that stood before her, covered from the tips of his blond hair down his "kill me now" orange shirt and shorts, all the way down to the wiggling toes of his little bare feet was non other than the son of her late friend Kushina, and the late 4th Hokage Minato Namikaze, little Naruto Uzumaki, his whiskered cheeks nearly being split by his smile.

Both boys stood there smiling up at Tsume, Kiba's was completely happy and oblivious, Naruto's though, was tinged with nervousness, fear, and a little bit of hope. Naruto knew all too well the fact that he may be rejected and at best shooed out of the house and lose his new friend, or at worst be beaten again and left outside to bleed and cry till he healed and could walk to his decrepit, broken down apartment and his barely working shower to clean up again. To his great surprise, the tall, feral looking woman before him simply shook her head before raising her voice at the boy beside him. "Boy, since when did I raise you to leave that door standing open and track mud through my kitchen?! Take your friend out back, hose down, and I'll bring you dry clothes, then you're both going to come back in here and clean up this mess... now go close that door and get your little asses out back and find that hose." The boys both chucked before turning and running back out the door, again forgetting to close it, and ran around to get mostly cleaned up, leaving Tsume standing there shaking her head with a helpless, happy smirk. 'Kushi-chan, your little boy is JUST like you.'

**(Flashback end)**

The now 12 year old boys both got up, petting the nearest dogs before shouting "Hai Kaa-san/chan" and running in to the house to grab their breakfast and run out the STILL open door and a yet again annoyed Tsume shaking her head at her "sons".

**15 Minutes and ~45 shouts of indignation and surprise later at the academy**

Naruto and Kiba, with Akamaru sitting between them on the desk, sat in the back of the room with Skikamaru, the Nara clan heir, and Choji, the Akamichi clan heir, both of whom had been Naruto and Kiba's best friends since they started in the academy years ago. Shikamaru was currently asleep with his head on his arms on the table, and Choji, unlike Shikamaru was wide awake and talking to the other two while munching away happily on his 4th bag of chips since they got there.

"How do you guys think you're gonna do on the exam guys?" Naruto laid his head back and stared at the ceiling as he thought about Kiba's question.

Choji, however didn't hesitate longer than it took to swallow his chips, "I think we're all gonna make it, I'm more worried about what team's we're gonna be on." sticking another hand full of chips in his mouth before offering the bag over toward Naruto, as sure a sign of friendship from the Akamichi as any you would ever find anywhere.

Sitting up and taking a couple chips from the bag, Naruto looked around at the other students filling the room. "I don't know, I really hope I pass, I mean, I know years ago I would have just yelled 'I'm gonna make it and no one can stop me Dattebayo!' and that would have been the end of it... but Tsume-kaa-chan helped show me just how far behind I really was back there." popping the chips in his mouth as Akamaru gave a yip and nuzzled his arm. "thanks."

The relatively quiet moment between friends was shattered as the twin ear killers known as Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno came running and screaming into the room, wedging themselves, yet again, into the door side by side in their never ending competition to sit next to their "dreamy Sasuke-kun". Finally breaking free of the jam, both girls fell flat only to scramble to get to the single, open seat next to their heart throb obsession. The boys ignored this, having seen both girls get the seat over the years, not really caring about the now common occurrence.

A few moments later their teachers, Iruka and Mizuki stepped in and quieted the class by Iruka's master jutsu, the demon head jutsu, which made his head seem to become huge and increase his vocal power ten fold. This too was nothing new to the boys, though they seemed to come to enjoy it after a while, having found it was fun to NOT wake Shikamaru when the teachers came in and let him jump whenever Iruka got their attention. Needless to say, after Iruka shouted, the 3 already conscious boys were nearly rolling at their NOW conscious friend that had flipped backwards in his chair in the back of the room. This caused Iruka to smirk and shake his head at the recurring "prank".

Iruka cleared his throat before addressing the class "Okay before we get started, I want you all to know that I am proud of every single one of you, no matter how you come out of the final exam! It was my joy to teach... most of you..." shooting a smirking glare at the similarly smirking boys in the back of the room. Iruka went on to explain how he and Mizuki would conduct the final exam and what was expected of them before heading to the door into the next room, Iruka staying long enough to call out the first name alphabetically.

As the day rolled on, students would come back into the room either smiling with their new hitai-ate, or in some state of depression or denial and with out one. This went on until Naruto was finally called down. His friends all gave him encouragement as he went down, even the shy little Hinata wished him luck as he passed her on his way to the door. Once he got to the other room, Naruto found Iruka and Mizuki sitting behind a table with many hitai-ate of various colors sitting on it. Both teachers had clip boards in hand and were smiling at Naruto, though Naruto noticed that Mizuki's smile seemed forced and no where near genuine. Iruka spoke up and brought Naruto out of his observations. "Okay Naruto, it's very simple, you just have to perform the 3 basic academy jutsu, you've passed everything else already. Are you ready?"

Naruto nodded his head and first performed the kawarimi, replacing himself with one of the chairs in the back of the room for just that reason, then again to move back into place before them. The chunin both marked on their boards before Naruto performed the henge, changing into a perfect replica of his "mother" Tsume, who stood there with the exact feral smirk that was given when she knew she had won at something. Changing back to himself, Naruto gave off that same smirk before forming a cross sign and shouting out "Kage Bunshin no jutsu" before a large cloud of smoke filled the room and 9 shadow clones filled in behind the original, and in unison shouted out "How's this Sensei?" every one of them, including the real Naruto stood there smiling like the cat that got the canary.

That smile only lasted as long as it took for Mizuki's own smile to form on his lips. "I'm sorry Naruto, but we cannot count that one."

Naruto's smile and spirit fell.'Tsume-kaa-chan's going to be so disappointed... or pissed... or both.' Naruto thought to himself before a new voice spoke up from the door in the back of the room. They all turned to see a tall, broad man leaning against the door frame. He was easily one of he tallest men any of them had ever seen, easily matching Jiraiya of the Sannin. His long, dark brown hair tied back in a ponytail, a few strands hanging over the front of his horned Konoha hitai-ate and down his face on the right side. His dark brown eyes squinted a little as he smiled at the blond boy standing before the table. Stepping into the room, they could see that he wore loose, black cargo pants, wrapped at the ankle over his black shinobi sandals, a shinobi mail shirt under a gray-black shirt with a red jacket with green accents covered in storage pockets and storage seal arrays visible on the inside with the plate from a hitai-ate that kanji for oil attached to both shoulders. He pulled off his fingerless gloves as he stepped up beside Naruto and placed a hand on his shoulder. Naruto looked up at him with the slit pupils of his blue eyes. "Dar-nii-san! You really made it!"

Naruto beamed up at the man as the teachers both stood and bowed to him. "Darious-san, it's a pleasure, what brings you here?" Iruka asked, genuinely happy to see the man beside his surrogate brother/son.

Mizuki spoke up before an answer could be given. "As much a pleasure as it is to see you here, but I'm afraid you're wrong about that jutsu being acceptable. I'm afraid Naruto MUST perform the standard bunshin to pass this exam." sitting there with a smug smirk that he was unable to hide.

The man now known as Darious started to glare at the smug teacher, knowing full well, from the letters he had received, of the teachers subtle attempts to sabotage the boy's education and grades. "if that's the case, then I think it's safe to say that I shouldn't be standing here as I am, now should I?" leveling a small amount of killing intent directly at Mizuki, who started to sweat, knowing that there was an actual precedence to Naruto's situation, an that man that created that precedence was standing next to the demon brat that he so hated.

Iruka, hearing this, smiled and called Naruto forward to pick his hitai-ate. Naruto stepped up and happily picked out one with a dark gray band to match the new jacket that Tsume had bought for him and had waiting for him at home once he graduated. "Congratulations Naruto, I'm SO proud of you!" Iruka smiled at him before telling him the name of the next person to send in and sending him off.

As Naruto got to the door, tying his new head band over his forehead, he looked back "Iruka-sensei, Dar-nii-san, want to get ramen with me after you're done before I go home?"

Both men nodded and waved him off before Darious turned back to look at Mizuki, Iruka doing the same. "I don't know what kind of shit you're trying to pull, but I know full well that you know that an advanced bunshin like that is acceptable under the Yondaim's amendment to graduation requirements."

Mizuki started to sweat under the glaring eyes of both men as he worked quickly to form an acceptable lie to cover his own ass. "I... was just seeing if he would stand up to me... and if he knew the rules or not..."

Darious knew that this was a flat out lie, and a rather poor one at that, but let it go, fully planning on letting the Sandaime know about it later when he officially reported his stop in. "It's a good thing that I stepped in then, considering that you're only meant to give the prescribed test and not added stress to the students." Looking over at Iruka, "Janken for the bill tonight?"

**A few hours later at the academy gates.**

Naruto stood there with his friends chatting happily about passing and their possibly team placements the following Monday, who they hoped their senseis would be and generally what they thought their first missions would be. Naruto and Kiba were broken from the conversation by a familiar voice coming down the street.

"Hey runts, am I still the only ninja of the 3 of us?" The voice belonged to Kiba's 13 year old sister Hana. Naruto blushed a little as the newly minted chunin walked up to them with her companions, the Haimaru triplets in tow beside her, smiling as she saw them both wearing hitai-ate. Naruto had to shake himself out of his blush before smiling at her like Kiba was.

"Yeah, it wasn't a problem at all, just like I said!" Kiba puffed out his chest proudly and Akamaru barked out as well to back up his partner's pride.

Hana looked over at Naruto, a light dusting of a blush hitting her cheeks as she smiled at him. "so, how did you do Naruto-kun? Blow them away?"

Naruto's smile faltered a little before cheering back up. "Dar-nii-san showed up and made sure I passed when Mizuki-sensei tried to say that I couldn't pass using shadow clones, that they HAD to be academy style clones. Oh, that reminds me, I'm going to go eat at Ichiraku's with him and Iruka-sensei when they get done in a couple minutes, tell Tsume-kaa-chan that I'll be home after we eat, okay?" giving her a goofy grin as he scratched the back of his head having forgot to ask if he could before making the offer.

Hana smiled and shook her head. "Mom will be fine with it, you'll be hungry again by the time you get home anyway." Stepping up to him, she pulled him into a hug and whispered into his ear. "congratulations Naruto-kun." She let go and stepped back when she noticed the two men stepping around the gates and looking over to the trio.

Darious spoke up and waved "Hey you two, gonna take the shrimp with us and get some celebration ramen for him, tell your mom we'll have him back home long before dinner." smiling as he motioned for Naruto to come with them. Smiling and waving at his friends/siblings, Naruto ran over to the men and the three headed off. The two Inuzukas headed off back home, talking about how missions went and possible senseis and teams that Kiba and Naruto might be on. Kiba had a small hope that he and Naruto would be on the same genin team, knowing that they already had great teamwork.

**An hour later outside Ichiraku's**

After having his fill, Naruto bid Darious and Iruka farewell and headed back home for the night. Iruka did the same, leaving Darious to head to the Hokage's office to finally let him know that he had arrived in town. As he walked, he looked around, noticing the people not paying him much mind as he made his way through the streets toward his destination, smiling as a few girls and women giggled and blushed as they looked at him as he passed, though none of them knew he was already spoken for. After a few minutes travel, Darious finally arrived the large oak doors that was the the entrance to the Hokage's office. Looking over at the secretary sitting beside the doors. "is he in and available?"

Looking up, the middle aged woman smiled, recognizing him before informing him that he could go ahead on in. Giving the door a knock, Darious waited for permission to enter before stepping in to see the Hokage behind a couple tall stacks of paper. "Ah, Darious-kun, I'm happy to see you, is my student with you this time?"

Darious stepped in and closed the door before taking a seat. "I'm sorry, Master's not with me this time, he made sure that I came to see Naruto's graduation, which I'm glad I did... one of the instructors tried to deny him graduation." He went on to tell Hiruzen about what happened and was said.

Very unhappy about this, the aged leader called upon his Anbu. "Neko, Inu!" Said pair appeared, kneeling before him. "Inu, seeing as you're retiring from Anbu at the end of the day, this will be my last request of you as an Anbu. You two are to go pick up Mizuki, quietly. Take him to Ibiki and Anko, it seems he's been actively trying to sabotage Naruto's education and possible career. Tell them to see if that's all that he's been up to. Dismissed." The pair vanished before Hiruzen let out a small sigh. "The cruelty of some people never cease to amaze me..."

Darious looked up at Hiruzen with a serious look to his face. "Sir, there's more that needs to be talked about... Master's network has picked up news that "they" have captured another biju."

Hiruzen walked over to the window and looked out over the village as the sun sank over the horizon. "Let's hope that they don't come for him before he can be trained." letting out rings of smoke as he continued to watch the sun fall, closing out yet another day.

**A/N**

well, there it is, tell me what you think, no flaming please, flamers will be used to heat Naruto's ramen water!


	2. Chapter 2: Teams, Troubles, and Memories

I can see that of the few reviews that I've received, it seems that a couple of the vocal members seem to not like my ideas, and what I'm putting into MY story... I must say, if you don't like it, don't read it... I like constructive criticism, it helps to hammer out problems with grammar, spelling, story issues and what not... but telling me I'm an idiot for making an lame OC... I'm sorry, it's the first chapter, I haven't had a chance to even introduce the character properly yet... that being said, seeing as that said "reviewer" hasn't faved or followed myself or the story... it seems that a few of you actually do like it so far, 15 faves and 26 alerts for just the first chapter, you all make me happy!

Let's get this out of the way... again... **clear's throat** I do not own any of the characters in Naruto, save Darious and this plot line... everything else belongs to the man that killed 2 of my favorite characters... if I did own it... well... it probably wouldn't have had so many female fans... since Itachi would have killed Sasuke too... anyway, on with the show! Here's chapter 2!

xXxXxXx

Chapter 2: Teams, Troubles, and Memories

Darious looked up at Hiruzen with a serious look to his face. "Sir, there's more that needs to be talked about... Master's network has picked up news that "they" have captured another biju."

Hiruzen walked over to the window and looked out over the village as the sun sank over the horizon. "Let's hope that they don't come for him before he can be trained." letting out rings of smoke as he continued to watch the sun fall, closing out yet another day.

XxXxXxXxX

The next morning found 2 soundly sleeping boys falling from their beds onto one another on the floor, having been violently awakened by Hana loudly yelling for them to wake up and come down to breakfast. A few minutes passed as the boys got up, took care of their morning routines and got dressed and headed down stairs to the kitchen to find Hana still smirking as she ate her breakfast. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, they were both wearing their new jackets that Tsume had bought them for graduation. Kiba's was a gray hooded coat with black fur lining the hood and wrists. Naruto's coat was the same as Kiba's though with the colors inverted and a red Uzumaki swirl on the left shoulder. In addition to the new coat, Naruto had donned a pair of black shinobi cargo pants with the ankles taped, black shinobi sandals, and black sleeveless shirt with the same swirl on the front as his coat bore on the shoulder, and his hitai-ate on his forehead, holding back his mess of blond hair.

"If you two had been any longer, I'd have given Akamaru and the boys your food." Hana joked as said ninken all perked up from their bowls, thinking that they may just get the food anyway. This look soon died though as both boys quickly dug into their food, almost trying to put it away before it could be taken away.

Seeing this, Hana sweat dropped. "Calm down... I wasn't really... you're gonna choke if you keep at it like that!" As if on que Kiba started to cough and pound his chest a few times before going back to eating. Hana simply shook her head as she watched.

"As much as I think you boys should hurry up, I have to agree with Hana... you need to get to team assignments soon, but you can't do that if you choke." Tsume walked into the kitchen with a mug in hand.

"Hai!" both boys chorused before finishing their plates and putting them in the sink before running for the door, Kiba scooping up a still eating and surprised Akamaru before leaving the door standing wide open with a shout of "Bye Kaa-san/Tsume-kaa-chan!"

**Konoha ninja academy**

Kiba and Naruto ran into the room out of breath, hoping that they weren't late, only to find Iruka sitting at his desk with a puzzled look on his face as they burst through the door. The boys took a seat and started grumbling about "stupid mothers and sisters tricking them". As it turned out, Tsume and Hana had set all the clocks ahead 30 minutes and had a little fun with them. Needless to say, the boys had arrived plenty early.

As the other students... no, Ninja filtered into the room for their team assignments, Naruto, Kiba, Shikamaru, and Choji all sat in the back as usual, watching the other take their seats. One student was the Hyuga heiress Hinata, as she moved to her seat, she kept glancing up at the pair in the back.

"Man, I don't know HOW you do it, the one girl in the class that isn't all ga-ga over the duck-ass has the hots for you... of all people... must be cause you're blond or something." Kiba grumbled. It was as well know as Hinata's crush on Naruto, that Kiba had just as big a crush on Hinata. Naruto knew it from day one when Kiba started talking about "Hinata-chan" when they got home one day from school. Naruto had become friends with the shy girl, but had never returned her amorous actions. He wouldn't deny that she was indeed very attractive, kind, and funny when she would open up on those rare occasions.

"I'm telling you, if you would just act normal for once, and just talk to her instead of clamming up and fuming when we talk, she might just like you in that way instead of me." Naruto spoke from his head down position beside his fellow "sleeper" who was sitting in the same position.

A few more minutes of similar conversation passed before Iruka finally stood up and got their attention using the infamous big head jutsu, sending both Naruto and Shikamaru flipping backwards in their chairs in response. "Okay, let's get things started."

**Inuzuka house**

"You did well raising both of those boys to this point Tsume, I have no idea how you could handle them both." Darious sat at the kitchen table with Tsume and Hiruzen as Iruke gave his long, "proud" speech about being ninjas to the new genin.

"Indeed you have Tsume, if they were anything like my boys, you had your hands full." Hiruzen spoke up before taking a sip of his tea.

"Yeah, the pups are a hand full plus 3... I'm just lucky that I was able to... that council damn near made that impossible to do." Tsume sipped at her coffee as she remembered back to the day she was called into the council meeting.

**(flash back)**

Tsume arived with Kuromaru at the council room after being summoned for an "emergency" meeting called by the elders. Heading in and nodding to the few others that were there already and taking her seat with Kuromaru at her side. As the rest of the council showed up and took their seats, those not of the ninja council noticed Kuromaru sitting beside Tsume. Hiruzen finally arrived and took his seat at the head of the room.

"I'd really like to know what's so important that it called for calling this an "emergency" meeting... would someone care to explain what's going on?" The Hokage looked around at the gathered members, then back at the 3 elders. There was silence for a good 2 minutes while he patiently waited, slowly starting to leak killing intent after the first until one of the civilians spoke up.

"We've heard word that someone has taken "the boy" in and is planning to adopt him... if I remember correctly, a law, passed by majority in this very council forbade such an act." The man that spoke up was a newly appointed council member, having replaced his late father, the man went on, not knowing proper tact while around ninja clan heads. "I am told that the Inuzuka clan has been sheltering "him" for the last week and a half already!"

Hiruzen smiled internally, happy to hear that someone wanted to and actually was helping the young Naruto. He looked around as a few gasps and murmurs started to rise, a few of the less intelligent civilians started to stare and glare at Tsume as she seemed to simply sit there and take it. On the inside was a different story, she was absolutely seething, and Kuromaru could sense it and let out a low growl that got the councilor that had spoken up to start with. "Um... I hate to sound as new to this as I already seem, but why is there a dog in this meeting? I realize that the Inuzuka have a partnership, but should it actually be here?"

Hearing this, Kuromaru moved so that his head was above the table and looked right at the man before saying "You do realize that I can speak, correct?"

The counselor managed to hide his shock as he looked Kuromaru in the eyes and replied "You do realize that even though you can speak, you are not a member of this council?"

Kuromaru tilted his head to the side before saying, with what sounded like a smirk to his voice "You do realize I can easily, and happily piss on you from here?" This got a few appalled looks from the civilians, but several snickers from the ninjas, including Hiruzen and one dog masked Anbu standing in the shadows behind him. "To answer your question though, due to the nature of the partnership between us ninken with the humans of the Inuzuka pack, and I being the alpha and patriarch of the ninken in said pack, I am granted a seat on this council when it concerns matters that directly involve our clan as a whole. Now, with what you have just stated, I believe that this council meeting was called to bring up matters concerning our clan. Does that answer your questions?" The ninjas, including Shikaku this time, all seemed to smirk at the utterly dumbfounded look on the civilian side's faces.

"um... is that even right?" looking around, then to the Hokage who nodded his head. "very well then..." coughing to clear his throat "now, as I was saying at the start of the meeting, it has come to our attention that one Tsume Inuzuka has plans of adopting "the boy", as we know, that is not allowed or legal. What are we going to do about this?" Hiruzen sat there wondering how the members of the council had heard about this considering that Tsume had only just that morning come to him with the idea of adopting Naruto into her clan. He had his ideas, glancing covertly over at Danzo, fairly sure that he had not disbanded his Root organization as he had been ordered years ago.

Before Hiruzen or anyone else could answer, Jiraiya's voice filled the room, causing the heads of all there to turn to see who was speaking. "Nothing's going to be done, because she's not adopting the young man, she's simply offering him aid and shelter, which is not against the so called law that this council created just to spite that young man."

As the members of the council turned to look at Jiraya, they saw him standing there with a 23 year old Darious standing beside him, slowly looking around the room as his master spoke up. Tsume wanted to say something about Jiraiya's comment before it occurred to her, 'this is his solution to the problem, he's right, if I don't adopt the pup, then I can keep him with us, I can help him out while the rest of the village tries to hurt and hamper him... great maneuvering ya old pervert.' smirking to herself before one of the older members spoke up.

"Greetings Lord Jiraiya, and I believe this young man here is your new apprentice Darious. We are glad to see that you and he are back around, but I'm sure that you are mistaken in your statements. The councilor, one Mebuki Haruno, sat back in her chair, smirking triumphantly, or seemingly so until a book was dropped on the table in front of her, courteously of a still smirking Jiraiya.

"Would you care to check that page and read the definition of adopt please?" Jiraiya stood there in front of her, even though he knew the meaning but wanted to make a point.

"I'm sure we all know the meaning of the..." she was interrupted by Hiruzen as he gave her a stern look. "Humor us..." Mebuki started to sweat before starting to read. "Adopt: To take into one's family through legal means and raise as one's own child... but Lord Jiraiya, that is exactly what she is doing!"

Jiraiya stepped over toward the ninja council members, specifically closer to Tsume. "Ah, but it's not, has she signed any paperwork that proclaims Naruto Uzumaki as her adopted son?" not waiting for any answers. "is she in fact taking him in as part of her family? The answers to that, are no, she's taking the young boy and treating him like a low pay stable hand if you will. I have seen the pens at their compound, it may as well be called a stable with what some of your kin leave behind Kuramaru... he'll be working for room and board, and before you say a single word about that not being allowed, there is no law or rule stating that he cannot work or hold a job. Trust me I looked." Jiraiya looked around, making sure that no one would say anything against him and his plan to help his godson out since he couldn't be there long enough to take care of him.

"Seeing as there is no actual issue here to be discussed since Jiraiya cleared up any missunderstanding, I call this "emergency" meeting to an end." Danzo grit his teeth at this, knowing that his plans to offer up shelter for the boy himself and turn him into the living weapon he thought any jinchuriki should really be. Hiruzen, Tsume, Jiraiya and Darious all stayed behind after all the others left, all but Inu, who stepped out of the shadows and joined them. Inu was dressed as a normal Anbu with his gravity defying silver hair standing behind his mask.

"That was quite the save there Jiraiya, I was wondering if I'd have to do something drastic to let Tsume here keep Naruto with her, though I'm sure she would have much more wanted to bring him into her family." Tsume had a sad smile on her face as this was said.

"I'm just happy that I can help take care of my best friend's son... she would have done the same for Kiba and Hana if the roles were reversed." They all agreed, though Jiraiya felt a little guilty for not taking care of Naruto himself. "I'll be sending Darious here back alone every so often to check in on little Naruto and help teach and train him with you, and I'll come visit when I can." Hiruzen then spoke up.

"Tsume, you should probably go on home, I'm sure you've got a few eager kids to get back to with the mostly good news." Tsume smiled a genuine smile to the aged Hokade before heading out with Kuromaru on her heels to go tell Naruto that he'd be staying with them from now on.

**(flash back end)**

Smiling to herself at the memory of Jiraiya stepping in and saving the day, so to speak, and giving her the chance to take care of Kushina's only child, who had over time slowly become more and more like her own. "If it weren't for that brilliant old pervert, Naruto may have been living alone in a ratty little apartment that got broke into and vandalized over and over. He's actually happy on his birthday now, even though we don't participate in the festival."

"I am a little sad that he never gets to go out and participate, the festival should be celebrating him for his sacrifice, but instead, they try to sacrifice him to alleviate their own lack of understanding." Darious spoke up as he finished off his cup of tea, waving off Tsume's offer of a refill. "I actually should head out after a bit, I need to catch up with Master soon. I'll be back in a couple months. By the way, thank you Hokage-sama for letting me meet with Naruto's jonin sensei, I'm rather pleased with your choice... I just hope he keeps what we talked about in mind when he starts, if he passes them." Standing up and bowing to his hostess and leader, Darious excused himself and headed off. "Thanks again for the tea Tsume, maybe next time I'll bring some of my own and treat you."

"I still find it hard to believe that that old pervert managed to train and bring up not just 1, but 2 very capable ninja like Minato and Darious." Hiruzen couldn't help but chuckle at Tsume's comment.

"They are all 3 very much alike, each with their own personality, but all very reliable, loyal, and extremely dangerous and powerful in their own ways. I'm very proud of my student, and his." Hiruzen sipped quietly at his tea as he glanced at the small scroll left on the table for Naruto.

**Konoha ninja academy**

"Now for Team 7's members, Sakura Haruno, Sasuke..." Iruka was interrupted by a loud, screeching, victorious shout from said Haruno.

Iruka coughed to get her attention before she sat down, beaming at the choice, even under the murderous stares of the other fan girls. "As I was saying, Sasuke Uchiha, and Naruto Uzumaki." This earned a loud thump and a groan. The thump was Sakura's head hitting her desk, and the groan was from Naruto, who's head was still on his arms in feigned sleep.

"Why do we need such a useless shinobi on the same team as the amazing Sasuke-kun?!" Sakura fumed as she tried scooting closer to Sasuke, who in response tried to scoot farther away. Naruto simply grumbled into his arms, just loud enough for his friends beside him to hear, about loud, annoying, pink haired fan girls and bleeding ears. These comments got the other 3 boys, and one puppy, to laugh in the back of the room.

"If you're finished back there in the peanut gallery..." Iruka stared down the boys as the quieted down, then began back with his reading. "Your jonin sensei will be Kakashi Hatake." This comment caught Naruto's attention. His eyes shot open with his head still down to hide his reaction. 'he's a legend... man I hope he teaches me some cool things like Dar-nii and that old man that stops by with him.'

"Team 8 will consist of Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyuga, and Kiba Inuzuka." a small yip was heard after that. "And Akamaru..." giving a small smile as he said that, then continued. "Your jonin sensei will be Kurenai Yuhi." Kiba sat with a small blush as he looked down at the slightly disappointed looking Hinata before he felt an elbow to the ribs from his surrogate brother and looked down to see him looking up at him with one eye.

"work on friendship first, maybe a little comforting support, then just be the way Hana and Tsume-kaa-chan keep trying to get you act, you'll get her." Kiba could see the small smile from the side of Naruto's face that was showing, gaining a confident smile of his own in the process.

"Team 9 is still in rotation, so Team 10 will consist of Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara" "troublesome" "and Choji Akimichi" This earned another groan, this one being from the blonde in the class. "Your jonin sensei will be Asuma Sarutobi." Looking around at the class and seeing some of the new graduates moving to sit with their respective teems, Iruka continued on for a moment. "Your jonin senseis will come and gather you for your first team meeting soon. I just want to tell you all once more, just how proud I am of every single one of you, and that it has been one of my greatest honors to teach you all to this point, listen to and learn from your senseis and each other and I'm sure you will all go far and make the village as a whole proud of you all as well." After that, he bowed to them all, gathered his papers, and headed out just as a few of the senseis filed into the room and started to gather their new teams. After around 10 minutes, Kiba and Hinata were waving to Naruto as they left with their new sensei, leaving only Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke in the room alone, Sakura trying her best to woo Sasuke in the middle row by the window, and Naruto, head still down as he sat in the back of the middle of the back row.

An hour passed as they sat there, still waiting, then another, then as the third hour was about to tick around, the door slid open to reveal a tall man with one eye covered by his hitai-ate, the bottom of his face covered up to his nose with a cloth mask, and wearing a standard jonin uniform and gravity defying silver hair stepped in and looked around. "Team 7?" getting nods, even from the head down Naruto "my first impression of you all... I'm not impressed... meet me on the roof in 10 minutes." He then vanished in a swirl of leaves, leaving the trio to get up and start heading to the roof. Once they reached the roof, they saw Kakashi sitting on a bench waiting for them to get there while reading a little orange book, one that Naruto recognized as one that Tsume had banned from the house. Without looking up from his book, he motioned to the benches in front of him for them to take a seat on.

"Okay, since we're going to be a team, we may as well go ahead and introduce ourselves to each other, you likes, dislikes, dreams or goals." finally putting away his book and looking at them all and waited for them to start out. Sakura spoke up after a moment.

"Um... Sensei, why don't you start out for us?" Kakashi gave an eye smile before nodding and speaking again. "Okay, my name is Kakashi Hatake, I am your jonin sensei, I like a lot of things, don't have many dislikes, and my dreams... I don't really want to share those. Now, you're up Pinkie." pointing to Sakura. All 3 genin sweat dropped, even Sasuke as they all 3 thought the exact same thing 'all we learned was his name and rank...' Sakura gave in and started out.

"My name is Sakura Haruto, I like Sasuke-kun, my family, and studying, I dislike perverts and **Naruto**" sending a glare that somehow had killing intent laced into it. "my dream is to one day..." she looked over at Sasuke and squealed while pulling her hands up to her face. Kakashi got a sweat drop at that description, then turned to Sasuke and spoke. "Okay, now, Mr. Dark-and-moody, you're up." This earned him a glare from Sakura for the name.

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha, remember it! I don't like much, I hate a lot, and my dreams, no, my aspiration is to kill a certain man, and to rebuild my clan once I have killed that man." Kakashi let out a low sigh at what he had heard from Sasuke, a bit disappointed with his response. He then looked over to Naruto and once again spoke.

"Okay Blondie, you're up." Naruto decided to stand as he spoke. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, I like training, my friends, my family..." This part caught Kakashi by surprise until he heard the next words. "and their ninken. I dislike people that pass judgment without knowing the whole truth or the matter, and arrogant pricks that think the world owes them everything without earning even a scrap of what they already have." giving a bit of a glance over at Sasuke. "My goals are to become the best shinobi I can for this village, to make my family proud, and to become Hokage one day." Kakashi gave an eye smiled at this and nodded.

"Okay, now, I want you all to meet me at training field 7 tomorrow morning at 6am for your test." Before he could say anything more, Sakura spoke up in a shrill pitch. "Test?! We already passed the test, what test are you talking about?!" Sasuke actually nodded his head to this, rather upset that he'd have to take another pointless, in his opinion at least, test when he's already passed the first one with flying colors. Kakashi took this moment to explain.

"That test was to see if you had the skills needed to be considered by a jonin for a team, this test is the real graduation test, the one to find out if you have what it takes to make the cut as a real genin of Konoha, to join the ranks and defend out village as a skilled and reliable shinobi or kunoichi. Now, with that said, you'd better not have breakfast tomorrow morning, you're going to end up loosing it if you do, and I'd rather not have to avoid it while administering your test... now, see you all tomorrow morning at 6am." Giving a small wave and eye smile before vanishing once again in a swirl of leaves, leaving his possibly students sitting there before Naruto and Sasuke both got up and headed to the stair well access door before Sakura came too and hurried to follow them.

Once they got to the ground floor and left the academy gate, Naruto went off on his own way, heading home, sure that he heard Sakura trying to invite Sasuke out to eat since they were a team now. As he walked, he thought to himself 'now I get to let loose and stop hiding what Dar-nii and Tsume-kaa-chan have taught me.' A small smirk growing on his face as he started to jog the rest of the way home, anxious for tomorrow to come.

xXxXxXx

There it is, Chapter 2. I hope you all liked it, read, review, no flames, if you don't like it and have nothing constructive to say, don't say anything.

Also want to thank MercenaryGrax, Dragon and Sword Master, Oni Spiritus, and MrApathy for "cheering me on" as it were.


	3. Chapter 3:Tests and truths

Well, for those of you that have faved, followed, or otherwise kept track of myself or at least this story, welcome to chapter 3. Sorry if I don't get these out in a regular pattern, I personally would like to have this out around every 2~3 weeks. If it takes a little longer, please bear with me, I've been doing a lot the last 2 weeks, been putting in a lot of job apps and having to help my uncle move... he owns lots and lots of heavy stuff.

Let's once again get this out of the way, Don't own Naruto, Hana, my master... well anyone in the Narutoverse, but hey, which of us does? Oh, that's right, the man that killed 2 of my faves and 1 awesome ass kicker, that's who.

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Chapter 3:Tests and truths

"That test was to see if you had the skills needed to be considered by a jonin for a team, this test is the real graduation test, the one to find out if you have what it takes to make the cut as a real genin of Konoha, to join the ranks and defend out village as a skilled and reliable shinobi or kunoichi. Now, with that said, you'd better not have breakfast tomorrow morning, you're going to end up loosing it if you do, and I'd rather not have to avoid it while administering your test... now, see you all tomorrow morning at 6am." Giving a small wave and eye smile before vanishing once again in a swirl of leaves, leaving his possibly students sitting there before Naruto and Sasuke both got up and headed to the stair well access door before Sakura came too and hurried to follow them.

Once they got to the ground floor and left the academy gate, Naruto went off on his own way, heading home, sure that he heard Sakura trying to invite Sasuke out to eat since they were a team now. As he walked, he thought to himself 'now I get to let loose and stop hiding what Dar-nii and Tsume-kaa-chan have taught me.' A small smirk growing on his face as he started to jog the rest of the way home, anxious for tomorrow to come.

xXxXxXx

"Kaa-Chan... Sensei told us NOT to eat breakfast!" Naruto sat at the kitchen table with Kiba and Hana as Tsume sat a large plate in front of each of them. Kiba and Hana happily dug in while Naruto looked at her as if he were being told to ignore the Hokage himself.

"I don't care what he told you, **I'm** telling you to clean that plate before you step foot out that door!" Tsume stood there staring down Naruto, who was sitting there staring right back up at her. After a minute though, Naruto finally relented and started to eat. Not surprisingly, he quickly finished off the entire plate before hopping up and putting it in the sink to be washed later before rushing to the door to get on his sandals and head off to the training grounds to take his "real test". As Naruto ran off, followed in short order by Kiba and Hana, Tsume thought to herself 'I wonder if that "suggestion" of Kakashi's was what I think it is'. Tsume started into the dishes, feeling generous today considering that Naruto and Kiba both were going to be taking their team tests.

xXxXxXx

Naruto bounced along down the road as he made his way to the training fiend they had been told to meet at by their new sensei yesterday, ready and excited about the test. Looking around, he almost hoped he'd see more of his friends from the academy on the way to their tests but saw none so far. A small part of him secretly wanted to see Hana again away from the house, he wasn't sure why he wanted to see her or spend more time with her over the past year, but over the last couple months it had started getting stronger and stronger. He had even noted how good she looked wearing her swim suit when they went swimming, or blushing when she'd wear shorts and a tank around the house in the afternoons when they were all home, or how his heart would beat harder when she leaned against him on the couch every now and then. Naruto had to shake those thoughts from his mind as he came up to the bridge over the stream on the edge of the training grounds, noticing that Sasuke was already there brooding. Naruto walked up to him and lean against the rail beside him. It was relatively peaceful for a few minutes until...

"SASUKE-KUUUNNN~" Naruto lifted his finger to rub in his ear, wondering if the Harunos had a new bloodline limit that involved their voices and liquifying a person's brains from afar. Sasuke didn't seem very happy about it either as he let out a low groan as Sakura quickly made her way over to them and rather roughly shoved Naruto out of the way and almost over the railing.

"You could have just got to the other side... or at least asked me to move." Sakura leveled a glare at Naruto as if he had suggested the stupidest thing ever spoken, then turned back to Sasuke and proceeded to fawn over him.

"Are you excited Sasuke-kun? What do you think the test is gonna be? Oh it doesn't matter anyway, I'm sure you'll pass it with no problems at all!" Sakura continued to ramble on as Naruto moved over to the other side of the bridge and leaned forward over the rail, watching the fish calmly swimming in she shade the bridge cast upon the water below, enjoying the calming affect it had on him, even with the screaming banshie of a team mate behind him going on and on about the greatness of "her sasuke-kun".

XxXxXxX

Hana was walking down the streets of Konoha with one of her closer friends Yugao. The two chunin had time to burn with no missions for them for the day, so they decided to spend some time together and just relax for the day. They had been walking around for an hour, and even though they were both strong, deadly, and competent kunoichi, they were first and foremost still teenaged girls, so the subject of boys came up, and one name that Hana hadn't been outwardly expecting came up.

"What about Naruto, I know he's a year younger, but he's pretty cute, what do you think Hana?" Yugao noticed the small dusting of pink on Hana's cheeks as she started thinking about her surrogate brother, his sun kissed blond hair, his soft tan, his deep blue eyes with their vertical slit pupils, so much like her clan members that she wondered if he might actually be a distant relative at times. She also thought about the times that she had watched him training shirtless and the butterflies that the image stirred inside her. The times that she would secretly blush as she would snuggle up to him on the couch at night after dinners when they were all relaxing. She especially thought of the immense warmth that his body put off, so much so that she never had to use the blanket on the couch when against him. She was brought from her thoughts-gone-day-dreams by Yugao's voice.

"I guess you think a lot about him." smirking almost deviously as she looked at her friend as she noticed the soft blush turn into a deep burning blush before Hana spoke up.

"What are you getting at? Naruto's like my brother, he lives in our home and treats me like his big sister, and Kiba like his brother." her blush not leaving, and actually deepening as the thought of the possible taboo of such a relationship as what her friend was suggesting.

"Uh huh, and I suppose that you turning into a tomato is because you think of him only as your little brother... you have a crush on him, don't you?" Yugao's smirk turning into a smile as she looked at Hana who now wore a half confused look under her blush as she started to think about it. 'Could I actually have a crush on Naruto? Is that what is causing those feelings when ever I'm around him? Even so, what would Mom think? What would **Naruto** think?! What if he hates me for this?' Hana almost started to panic as these thoughts ran though her head until Yugao once again saved her from her thoughts.

"You really do like Naruto, don't you?" her tone that of the supportive, caring friend trying hard to help Hana in a moment of confusion and need. "It's okay, he may be younger than you, but he's also a very strong boy! Darious-san, Jiraiya's own apprentice has been helping and teaching him for Kami sake! And besides, he's not related by blood, he's not even adopted, so what's wrong if you do like Naruto?" Yugao lead Hana into a nearby tea shop and sat down so they could have a little privacy.

"I'm... I'm actually not sure myself how I feel about Naruto... I mean, I do love him, but that's the family kind." Looking down at the table as the waitress came up and took down their orders and moved off.

"Well, if you're not interested in him in that way... I could alwa..." she was cut off by Hana glaring at her and leaking some killing intent as she firmly said "NO." Yugao leaned back a little, her face holding a shocked look to it at the almost violent burst from Hana. Seeing this, Hana quickly got herself under control and lowered her head to stare at the table again, this time in shame for how she acted.

"I'm sorry Yugao... I... I don't know what came over me." Pulling herself together, Yugao shook her head.

"It's okay Hana... that's actually close to the reaction I was expecting. I said what I did to see how you would react, and I think you may love Naruto more than just as a little brother though. Hana looked up at her, thoroughly confused and conflicted now, both showing readily on her face as she looked to her friend with the dawning revelations.

XxXxXxX

As the third hour of waiting rolled over, Kakashi finally arrived, book in hand, to find Naruto napping peacefully under a nearby tree, and Saskuke brooding away at the bridge while Sakura sat with a pout on the other side of the bridge. That is until Sakura noticed Kakashi and stood, pointing her finger and screamed "YOU'RE LATE!" Hearing this from the tree, Naruto jumped from his sleep and noticed their sensei standing on the bridge with his team mates. Quickly getting to his feet, Naruto quickly ran to them.

"Nice of you to join us Dobe." Sasuke sarcastically remarked as Naruto joined them. Kakashi, though calm and impassive on the outside, was disappointed in Sasuke for his treatment of not only Naruto, but his team mates in general. He had been hiding in a tree near by observing his prospective team and their interactions.

"Okay, now that we're here and ready, I'll explain this test for you." closing his book and putting it away, Kakashi drew out a pair of bells and held them before his face in silence for a good minute before speaking again. Your objective is to get these bells from me before noon. I'll set a timer, and once the alarm goes off, if you are not holding the bells, you fail and I send you all back to the academy to wait and try again next year." Sakura chose this moment to voice what all 3 of them were wondering.

"Um, Kakashi sensei, there are only 2 bells, there are 3 of us." Kakshi moved to place the bells on his hip before looking back to them.

"I'm glad you noticed that, that is because only 2 of you will pass this test, the third, the one that does not get the bell before the time is up..." Kakashi stood there for a moment, letting the ideas rush through their heads before darkly continuing, "will go back to the academy. You all will have to come at me as if you were trying to kill me, that's the only way you will even get close." As the genin hopefuls let that all soak in, Kakashi took out a timer and set it for noon and set it on one of the training posts in the middle of the field. "Now remember, you must get a bell before that alarm goes off. Your test starts now!" As he spoke the last work, all three disappeared from sight. At least he thought all three had, for when he turned around, Kakashi spotted Naruto standing in the middle of the field, looking him over.

"You don't seem too very bright Naruto. You intend to take me on one on one?" Kakashi took out his book as he spoke. Off in the bushes, Sakura whispered to herself about how much of an idiot her blond team mate really was. Off in a tree on the other side of the field, Sasuke's thoughts mirrored Sakura's comments, all the time thinking 'it's typical for the dobe to do something as stupid and simple minded.

"I'm not scared, and I'm not one to back down or play it careful when you yourself told us to come at you with the intent to kill." Naruto drew a kunai and a hand full of shuriken as he spoke, keeping his eyes on the jonin the entire time. As careful as Naruto was being, Kakashi seemed to be the exact opposite, not having a care in the world as he stood there and giggled a little as he read his little orange book. This lack of concern is what triggered Naruto's move. Rushing right at Kakashi, Naruto let fly the shuriken in his left hand as he got closer to Kakashi. As the shuriken got closer to him, Kakashi simply dodged all of the thrown weapons, not once looking away from his book. As he dodged, Naruto got within arms reach of Kakashi, taking a swing at his chest with the kunai, only for Kakash to leap back, having seen Naruto's left hand reaching out for the bells on his waist.

"Nice try Naruto, but too obvious." leaping back away from Naruto as he took out another kunai and flung it at him, Kakashi simply dodged and moved in against Naruto's defense, forcing him to leap back this time for fear of taking a hit. As he leaped back, Naruto drew out a hand full of kunai and shuriken and let them all fly while in the air. Kakashi was getting a little tired of the repetitive attacks and decided to end it. Rushing at Naruto before he could land or change directions, Kakashi, still reading his book, let loose a side kick that caught Naruto in the chest before he landed. The kick sent him flying back until he impacted a tree, but instead of a loud crunch, splatter, or cry of pain, there was a puff of smoke.

'A kage bunshin huh, very nice Naruto, let's see if you and your team mates are as good as I hope you all are.' Sakura was speechless as she saw what just happened. The blond idiot that she saw as a nuisance and hindrance to her and her Sasuke-kun had just used a B-ranked jutsu that was the advanced version of the one he had **never** been able to pull off in class no matter how much he tried. Sasuke on the other hand was crouched on a branch wondering when the dead last had learned such a technique and where. He knew that such a technique would aid him in killing his brother, give him that extra edge that he needs. The real Naruto however was hiding deeper into the tree line, absorbing the information that his clone had just learned from its attacks against Kakashi. He was so glad that Darious had taught him that technique and its uses a couple years back.

**(flash back)**

Naruto stood in the large training field in the Inuzuka compound looking at Darious as he stood across the field facing him.

"Okay Naruto, nicely done! Now, I have a jutsu to teach you that not many can use. It will be of great aid to you not only in training, but once you become an actual shinobi of Konoha. Would you like to see?" Naruto quickly nodded his head as he looked on impatiently before Darious stepped back a step and formed a single hand sign that Naruto had never seen before, and called out "Kage bunshin no jutsu!" A cloud of smoke appeared beside Darious as Naruto looked on. As the smoke cleared, there stood Darious and a duplicate. Seeing this, Naruto let out a huff, letting his shoulders slouch.

"It's just another clone technique, you know I can't do that." sounding a little depressed as the duplicate Darious stepped up as the real one spoke.

"You think this is "just another clone"? Tell me what a clone is." The Darious clone stopped and stood beside Naruto as he went to explain what a standard clone was.

"The clone technique creates a minor genjutsu that makes the onlooker believe that there are multiples of the user, but there is no real mass to these clones." Naruto went to sweep his hand through the clone beside him only to find his hand stop against the clone's abdomen as the real Darious moved closer.

"But... it's a clone... or are you the real one and that one coming over is the clone?" Naruto reached out and touched Darious as he and the clone started to chuckle at the ensuing antics of disbelief.

"Naruto, the shadow clone technique is not like a standard clone. It creates a solid clone, one that can actually fight and cast right beside its caster. The big downside to this is the chakra cost. It takes an immense amount of chakra just to cast the jutsu, so much so that if any normal genin were to even attempt it, they'd die, even if they managed to create one clone. You and I though Naruto, are both blessed with extremely large chakra reserves, and I know that you can handle this."

"But Dar-nii-san, how will this help me with my training and with being a ninja later? I can see that it would give mean edge numbers wise if I were in a pinch, but that's all I can see." Darious shook his head at this, but decided to give him a demonstrating instead of an explanation. Darious pulled out a note pad and ripped out a page and handed it and a pencil to Naruto and walked away a good fifteen feet with his back to the clone and Naruto.

"Okay Naruto, I want you to write something on that paper, I don't care what it is, how much or little you say, but something other than ramen, that would just be too easy to guess. Once you've done that, hand the paper to my clone, it will not carry the paper to me or say anything at all." Naruto frowned as he scratched through the word he had just wrote on the paper, the clone chuckling as he did so. Naruto quickly wrote something down on the paper and handed it to the clone. The clone read the paper and handed it back to Naruto before going up in a puff of smoke. Darious, after a few seconds, still facing away spoke up.

"Yes, she can be, she is for a reason, and one reason is because she loves you, Kiba and Hana." Naruto's eyes widened as he looked down at the paper that said "Tsume-kaa-chan is so strict."

"How did you do that?!" Naruto excitedly ran over to Darious and waited for him to explain things to him.

"The kage bunshin no jutsu was created as a scouting technique, that way the user could create a clone that would go in and gather as much information as it could. Even if the clone was discovered and "killed", all of its memories would be sent back to the user. No risk of casualties, no loss of information if the spy were to be killed or captured, no way for the spy to be tortured or interrogated. So tell me, if you were to make a dozen clones and have them each study a scroll or book, then dispel what do you think would happen?" smirking at the look of dawning understanding on Naruto's face as he realized what kind of awesome tool this could really be to him. He quickly bowed to Darious and they started working on getting him to learn the new jutsu with Tsume and Hana watching on from the house, albeit from different rooms and windows.

**(flash back end)**

After the memory passed, something dawned on Naruto. 'He's a jonin... we're not even genin yet and we're meant to get those bells from him. Either he's insane, or this is more than testing our skills... or both. I need to find Sakura and The Teme and see what they think.' Naruto then took a soft sniff of the air and followed his nose to his team mates. As Naruto crept his way toward Sakura, Kakashi glanced over to the bushes that Naruto was moving though, he was very good at his stealth, better than Sakura, and on par, if not better than Sasuke. His eye glanced over to the hiding place of each as each name came to his mind.

As Kakashi "read his smut", Sakura lay on her belly under a bush at the edge of the clearing. She had wondered where the real Naruto was until a hand clamped over her mouth from behind and a soft, calm voice that she recognized spoke up.

"It's just me Sakura, I'm gonna take my hand off your mouth now, just don't get loud, okay?" Sakura glared at him, but nodded anyway. Once his hand was gone she whispered harshly at him.

"What do you want you idiot?"

"I wanted to get an opinion from you on some observations and thoughts I had. Think about this, Kakashi's a jonin, we're fresh out of the academy and he wants us to attack him and take those two bells off his waist. There's no way in hell that any of us, not even Sasuke could do that alone at this point. There's something more to this test. A second meaning to it behind what he's originally leading us to think." Sakura was about to comment on Naruto's blasphemous comment about Sasuke until she stopped and thought about it. She had to admit, Naruto had a point. 'why would our sensei do that unless..'

"As much as I hate to say it, you're right Naruto, there is more to this, we need to find..." she was interrupted by the call of "Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu!"

Both teens turned to look into the center of the field to see Sasuke breathing out a massive ball of fire toward Kakashi, who just stood there until the fireball engulfed him completely. Sakura went to get up and head for Sasuke to congratulate his greatness before Naruto once again clamped his hand over her mouth and held her down when he noticed something wrong.

"Sakura, look." Naruto took his hand from her mouth to point out the smoking log where Kakashi had been standing. When Sasuke saw this as well he started yelling out to the woods to Kakashi.

"Come out and fight me you coward! Fight me face to face and quit treating me like a kid!" before Sasuke could spout off again a pair of hands shot out of the ground and dragged Sasuke down into the ground up to his neck, leaving only his head above the ground.

"Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu." Kakashi emerged from the ground and moved in front of Sasuke, crouching down as he started to speak to him. "Now Sasuke, why would I stand here and fight you face to face, we're ninja, not samurai, we fight from the shadows, rely on deception and trickery. We hardly ever stand face to face with our opponents, we strike from behind, above, the sides, and as you just learned, from below. We are not honorable, we are the ones that do the dirty work in this world, we do what we must to get the jobs done. You'd be wise to learn and accept that." Kakshi then quickly jumped away from Sasuke's head as half a dozen kunai impacted inches from Sasuke's face.

"You idiot! You could have hit Sasuke-kun!" Naruto sighed and hung his head when he landed in the clearing, then looked over to see Kakashi coming at Naruto, book still in hand. 'this sucks...' quickly jumping back, Naruto formed a dozen shadow clones that started rushing Kakashi two at a time, the ones rushing holding kunai and aiming to cut the cords of the bells as the remaining clones stood back throwing shuriken to try and guide and limit Kakashi's movements to limited effect. As each clone dispersed, another would run in to replace the last until only one remained, standing back with a pair of kunai in hand.

"I'm gonna get those bells Kakashi-sensei!" Hearing this after seeing Naruto using real strategy, albeit limited as it was, gave a small, hidden smile at the blond before him. Naruto rushed at Kakashi, ready to swing, but then puffed into a cloud of smoke in his face. Stopping for a second, Kakashi turned around to see a hole where Sasuke used to be, then was caught by surprise as a cry of "Gatsuga!" as a pair of what looked like horizontal tornadoes burst through the cloud formed by the burst shadow clone. Kakashi's eye went wide in surprise, not expecting Naruto to pull a move or plan like this. As the move connected with Kakashi, there was a shower of splinters signaling that he had once again used substitution to avoid the attack. As Naruto and his clone landed, both holding a kunai in each hand since he didn't have the natural claws like Tsume, Hana, and Kiba did. They looked around as the wood splinters rained down around them for Kakashi until said jonin quickly showed up behind the duo and stabbed the Naruto on the left only to receive a puff of smoke, little to his surprise. The remaining Naruto got into a stance, ready to attack. Quickly charging in and laying out a barrage of slashes and stabs at Kakashi's midsection, Naruto started working his attacks toward Kakashi's hip, hoping to even chance cutting one or both of the cords. That hope was quickly removed as Kakashi suddenly disappeared from in front of him in mid swing, causing Naruto to overbalance and stumble forward. As Naruto stood straight and looked around, Naruto finally figured out Kakashi was when he heard his sensei's voice speak up from low and behind him.

"Sennen Goroshi!" Kakashi was squatted down behind Naruto with his hands held together around his book with the middle and index fingers of both hands placed together before ramming his hand upwards toward Naruto's posterior. Kakashi had expected Naruto to go flying away from him, but instead was rewarded with another puff of smoke. 'That boy is sneakier than I gave him credit for.' Kakashi started to smirk a little as he opened his book back up and started to giggle after a second.

Off in the woods a good ways away Naruto closed his eyes as he crouched with Sakura and Sasuke. "Okay, he's dispelled the last of my clones, if I'm right, he's going to wait for us to come at him again instead of coming after us. I think I figured out what he's trying to get us to do."

"And what would that be Dobe?" Sasuke gave Naruto a scowl, thinking him an idiot, but curious non the less.

"He wants us to work together, he wants us to be a pack... I mean team. It's just like Tsume-kaa-chan always taught Kiba and I, a single wolf can take down a deer, but a pack of wolves can take down a bison." Sakura sat there in silence for a moment as she thought about it, then before she could ask, Sasuke surprised her by posing her exact thoughts.

"So what's the plan?"

Kakashi was starting to wonder if the three were going to make another attempt before the time ran out when all the sudden, Naruto, once again, strode out into the clearing in front of him with a rather cocky smirk on his face.

"You seem rather confident Naruto."

"That's because I'm going to get those bells Kakashi-sensei." As he spoke, Naruto drew out a pair of kunai, spinning them on his fingers before gripping them revers grip, the grin never leaving his face before creating a wall clones, then two thirds of those roughly thirty clones henged into Sasuke and Sakura. All of the Narutos shouted in unison "Let's go!" and they all rushed in, fists and feet flew as the clones came in at Kakashi, who actually put away his book now. Blocking kicks by kicking at shins, catching fists and spinning them away or pulling them with the momentum and letting them collide with the attacker coming from the other side. This was merely a work out for Kakashi, but he was very impressed with the plan of attack. The clones started thinning before only one Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke remained standing in front of him, all three sweating and breathing a little heavily as the alarm went off.

Kakashi relaxed from his ready stance and stepped closer to the trio of genin hopefuls. "Well it looks like you did not pass, I guess I was wrong about you three."

"I wouldn't say that just yet Kakashi-sensei." Naruto smirked as he held up the pair of bells that had previously been attached to his waist. Kakashi patted his waist as he wondered just when they had gotten the bells before it dawned on him. They had all hidden themselves in with the clones.

"You were one of the "clones" I caught and threw, weren't you Naruto?" Naruto's grin got that much bigger as Kakashi acknowledged their achievement. "very well done, but there remains the fact that there are only two bells, one of you has to go back." Naruto took the bells, and instead of handing one to Sakura or Sasuke, or even one to each leaving himself none, Kakashi was surprised yet again when Naruto took the bells and tossed them to Kakashi and listened with pride to Naruto's next words as all three genin stood there smiling and smirking at Kakashi.

"Pass us or fail us, either way, we're doing it as a team."

Smiling right back at them, Kakashi pocketed the bells and spoke up. "Congratulations team seven, you pass."

XxXxXxX

Jutsu translations for those who need them

Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu ~ Fire release: Great fireball technique

Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu ~ Earth release: Double suicide decapitation technique

Gatsuga ~ Fang passing fang

Sennen Goroshi ~ One thousand years of death

Well, there you have it, Chapter 3, I really hope you all like it as much as I hope you do. Please, read and review, and thanks again to MercenaryGrax, Dragon and Sword Master, HMV, MrApathy, and Oni Spiritus for their support and ideas.


	4. Chapter 4: Can This Be True?

Hello again everyone, Sorry I was a tad bit late. I'm glad to see that so many of you actually like the storyline that's slowly forming in my head. I know that a large portion of the people that have read it so far are sitting with a wait and see, or "I don't care, next story" attitude, but I thank ALL of you for reading, and especially thank those of you that have faved and followed the story, and even faved and followed me. It's a great honor for me to have that done, it makes me smile and get those warm fuzzies every time I see that happen.

Anyway, normal disclaimer, I don't own Naruto or any of the characters, the plot line and my OC are my creation though. Not sure if I actually "own" my OC or not, but he IS my intellectual property though.

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Chapter 4: Can This Be True?

Kakashi relaxed from his ready stance and stepped closer to the trio of genin hopefuls. "Well it looks like you did not pass, I guess I was wrong about you three."

"I wouldn't say that just yet Kakashi-sensei." Naruto smirked as he held up the pair of bells that had previously been attached to his waist. Kakashi patted his waist as he wondered just when they had gotten the bells before it dawned on him. They had all hidden themselves in with the clones.

"You were one of the "clones" I caught and threw, weren't you Naruto?" Naruto's grin got that much bigger as Kakashi acknowledged their achievement. "very well done, but there remains the fact that there are only two bells, one of you has to go back." Naruto took the bells, and instead of handing one to Sakura or Sasuke, or even one to each leaving himself none, Kakashi was surprised yet again when Naruto took the bells and tossed them to Kakashi and listened with pride to Naruto's next words as all three genin stood there smiling and smirking at Kakashi.

"Pass us or fail us, either way, we're doing it as a team."

Smiling right back at them, Kakashi pocketed the bells and spoke up. "Congratulations team seven, you pass."

XxXxXxX

Naruto sat relaxing on the couch in the living room with Kiba, Hana, and Tsume that night. Kiba was laying on the rug petting Akamaru as he lay on his chest. Tsume was sitting in her arm chair reading one of her books with Kuromaru laying asleep beside the chair. Lastly, Hana was sitting on the couch with Naruto like she usually was, though tonight, she was sitting on the far end instead of cuddling up to her "brother" like she did most night. Kiba and Tsume had both taken note of this, because even if she didn't cuddle with Naruto, she would normally at least sit close to him and talk or read. Tonight though, she sat staring at the fireplace with a far off look in her eyes. They had been a little concerned about her look, but wrote it off to her thinking about a mission or one of her friends that were out on one.

Naruto on the other hand was trying hard to hide his overwhelming concern for her actions. He had never seen her act this way around him before, so naturally, he started to wonder if it was something that he had done. He would steal glances over at her as he sat there running though what had happened that day and the days before to see if he could think of anything that he had done to upset her so. 'I don't think I did anything to upset her at graduation, she seemed happy and cuddled with me that night.' His mind went to that weekend, they had all gotten into a splash fight in the back yard when they gave the ninken their baths, even Tsume had gotten in on it, splashing all 3 of them until they teamed up on her, each with buckets. Naruto smiled a little remembering that day, though the smile didn't last as he heard Hana sigh and get up to leave, heading up the stairs without a word. Naruto felt that he had really done something wrong now since she always gave him a hug before she went to bed.

**(next morning)**

Naruto was laying back in a grassy field in a circle with his head pointed at the heads of Kiba, Shikamaru, and Choji, watching the clouds pass by as they randomly chatted.

"What was your test like guys?" Directing his question at Shikamaru and Choji.

After Shikamaru's completely expected "troublesome", Choji spoke up. "Asuma-sensei had us hunt him down, then capture and restrain him for 3 hours to make sure he didn't escape. He went easy on us though."

Kiba quirked an eyebrow and questioned eloquently, "huh?"

Shikamaru spoke up this time to answer. "Kiba, think about it, Asuma-sensei is a jonin, a skilled one. The second the 3 hours was up, he literally cut the cords around him with his chakra and stood up to congratulate us. He could have escaped at any moment he wanted to that entire time. We're just lucky that he purposely limited himself to very low chunin or high genin."

Naruto gave a bit of a snort and explained his team's test to them and how "troublesome" it was to get Sasuke to pitch in on the plan. Choji, nodded and offered up the last few chips in his bag before pulling out another one and asking Kiba about his test.

"Well, it's wasn't too hard, but it really tested us all out. We didn't really do any fighting till after the test itself. Kurenai-sensei gathered us all together and told us that she had gone all around the village hiding 12 items. 3 of the items she hid in places like peoples' houses and asked them to have us "convince" them to let us get the items. One of those items was in the mission office being held by Iruka-sensei. After we returned with the items, which turned out to be scrolls, all of them were bits of information that we had to interpret. What the scroll told us was that there was a meeting going on at a certain time and place between 2 "high priority targets" that we had to spy on and return with the information from the meeting. We managed to get to that meeting right as they were getting there... we sat there and listened to them talk about nothing for 2 hours! I guess it was worth it though, she passed us once we told her everything that happened. Looks like we're going to be tracking and recon team." Shikamaru nodded at Kiba's presumption, considering his and his team's abilities and clans.

They all stared at the clouds for a while longer before Naruto finally spoke up. "Hey Kiba, do you know why Hana was acting so strange last night? Did I do something to make her mad at me?"

Kiba rolled over and propped himself on his elbows. "I don't know man, but I have never seen her act like that... she didn't even cuddle with you... last time she didn't do that was when you accidentally broke her cup, and that she didn't even give you a hug... that's... I don't know man." Hearing these things, Shikamaru started to wonder about a few things.

"Naruto, how do you feel about Hana?" Naruto rolled over this time, looking at Shikamaru as he continued to stare at the clouds.

"What do you mean?" Naruto had a puzzled look on his face.

Shikamaru let out a low sigh. " What I mean is, what do you feel for Hana when you are around her, when you two talk or do anything together, when you look at each other?"

Naruto lay there thinking for a moment. "well, I always want to make her smile, make her laugh, make her comfortable. I always try to do those things too. When ever she cuddles with me on the couch or hugs me, I feel warm, and comfortable... and happy. I always seem to smile when I see her, and I'm sad when she is." Naruto hung his head a little remembering how down he felt last night at her actions, and how much worse he felt when he and Kiba found out that she had left before they made it to breakfast this morning.

"I see... as troublesome as it is, Naruto. You're in love with Hana." When Shikamaru said this, both Naruto and Kiba's eyes widened, and the crunching of Choji's chips momentarily stopping signaled their all around surprise.

"L... love? You think I love Hana?" Naruto sputtered a little.

Choji sat up and looked at Naruto. "It sounds like it fits... I mean, from everything you just said, it sounds exactly like what my dad says about my mom. It also seems like Hana may have feelings for you too from they way she acts around you." Naruto and Kiba both sat there and thought about it for a while, remembering the little smiles that Hana only seemed to have for Naruto, their hugs, the cuddling, how she seemed to want his attention and company when possible. She was doing pretty much the same thing Naruto was doing to and for her.

Kiba sat up as well and looked at Naruto. "I think they're right man... but I still have no idea what caused her to act completely out of character last night." It was at this point that a feminine voice voice chirped in from the tree line.

"I think I might know." The boys all turned to see Ino slowly walking up to them with a bit of a sad look on her face.

"How might you know that Ino?" Shikamaru lazily spoke up.

"Because I overheard her and another girl talking earlier when I went to run an errand for Mom. I had just gotten done picking up..."

**(flash back)**

Ino was walking down the street with a bag of groceries and decided to rest for a moment on a bench outside the patio seating of a small tea shop. As she sat there she overheard a pair of girls talking, recognizing one of them as Kiba's sister Hana. Taking a look behind her, she noticed that the other was a young woman about their age with her brown hair done up in a pair of bun.

"Neji does look rather handsome and is very skilled." Ino's eyes got big as she sat there thinking that she had just happened upon some new gossip by complete accident.

"Yeah, he is rather dreamy, but he's a little stuck up though. His skills are something to behold."

"Yeah they are, hey Tenten, have you seen him shirtless?" The conversation was just starting to get Juicy when Ino was snapped out of her snooping by the voice of a man she would always recognize.

"Am I interrupting anything Princess?" The voice belonged to Inoichi, her father.

"Um... no Daddy, was just taking a quick break before I headed home to get the groceries to Mom." Ino panicked a little, knowing full well that her father greatly disliked her being involved with gossip... especially starting it.

"Well, you should go ahead and get that all home and into the fridge before it starts to go bad, I know for a fact that your mother put my favorite ice-cream on your shopping list, and I really don't want melted ice-cream." Knowing exactly what his little girl was up to, Inoichi let it slide and encouraged her to head on home and cut her off from gathering any more gossip.

**(flash back end)**

Ino looked up from the ground as she finished telling what happened, when she did, she saw a defeated look on Naruto's face. "Is this true?"

Ino sadly nodded her head. "It's what I heard Naruto... I'm sorry, it looks like Hana like a boy from her class named Neji."

Kiba piped up at that with a growl. "Neji... that arrogant bastard. He's Hinata's older cousin, she treats him like a big brother, and in turn he treats her like garbage!"

"Kiba, calm down." The defeated Naruto spoke in a soft tone that concerned his friend. "I'm sure that if she got with Neji, he'd treat her better." Saying this, Naruto got up and started to walk from the field. He tossed a wave over his shoulder as he walked off. "I'm headed home guys, I'll talk to you later."

**(across town, an hour and a half earlier)**

"So you like the Hyuga boy Neji?" Hana sat smirking a little at the table as she sipped her tea with her friend Tenten. Tenten simply blushed at that comment, wishing she hadn't told Hana in the first place. "Neji does look rather handsome and is very skilled."

Tenten blushed a little harder as she looked at Hana with a bit of a sad smile."Yeah, he is rather dreamy, but he's a little stuck up though. His skills are something to behold."

Getting a rather mischievous glint to her eye, one that would match her surrogate brother's almost perfectly, Hana went in for another strike. "Yeah they are, hey Tenten, have you seen him shirtless?"

That did it, Tenten's nose gained a small trickle of blood as she emitted a goofy little giggle before shaking her head to clear her mind. "maybe..." Hana motioned to her upper lip for a second before Tenten caught on and quickly wiped the blood away.

"What about you Hana, you like Neji too?" Tenten posed a question that she feared since their academy days, hoping that she wouldn't have the competition of one of her closer friends for the heart of the boy she'd come to admire, and lightly love.

Hana looked her in the eye before smiling, the smile gave Tenten a little bit of a chill before Hana finally spoke up. "No, I don't like your dream boy... I... actually like someone that most say I really shouldn't." Her tone dropped at the last bit, knowing what people thought of Naruto all too well.

Hearing this, and then the tone of voice, Tenten really wanted, no, needed to know who Hana had fallen for. "Who is it? Is it someone I know?"

It was Hana's turn to blush a little now. "You know of him at least."

Tenten leveled a glare at Hana. "Come on, spill!"

Hana let out a sigh before she finally let out in a whisper "..."

"What did you say? I couldn't hear you?"

"I said it's Naruto!" Hana let out a bit loud, gaining a few glances from people around them.

"That blond boy that lives with you and your family?" Tenten asked in honest curiosity.

"Yes, the same... I just recently realized it too... took Yugao saying that she might swoop in and give him a try before I cam to an understanding of my feelings for him." Hana had a bit of a down look on her face.

Picking up on this, Tenten's soft smile turned into a concerned frown. "What's wrong with liking him? Did your mom say you couldn't? Maybe you have to marry some fat wealthy business man from another country."

Before Tenten could build up more steam Hana cut her off. "He doesn't know, and on top of that, I kinda gave him a really cold shoulder last night and this morning. I really think I might have hurt him."

"The cold shoulder, what did you do that qualifies as that?" Tenten got up from her chair across from Hana and moved to the one next to her.

"Well, normally I would cuddle with him on the couch at nights, and if not, I'd sit close to him. Before either of us would go to bed, I'd always give him these long, tight hugs... I always sleep better after one of them. Needless to say I slept like crap last night. It was so bad that I was up early, went and ate breakfast, and was gone before he or my brother were even up this morning." Hana was staring into her tea at this point.

Tenten softly put her hand on Hana's shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze. "I'm sure that most of this can be cleared up if you sit down and talk to him. Tell him that you were confused and really needed time to yourself to think about things. Then you confess to the boy, there's no way that you're gonna get with him if you don't admit your feelings to him as well."

When Tenten said this, Hana leveled a deadpan look at her and flatly stated "This last bit of advice coming from you?" Tenten could only sit there and scratch the back of her head and chuckle sheepishly.

**(that night, Inuzuka main house)**

It was about dark by the time that Hana came home that night, she had spent a few more hours hanging out with Tenten, then some time with Yugao, who gave her effectively the same advice that Tenten had given her earlier. When Hana got to the living room, hoping to find Naruto and be able to clear things up with him, and hopefully see if they could start a relationship, she found only Tsume, Kiba, and their combined ninken in the room.

"Mom, where's Naruto? Is he not home, or maybe out back training?" Hana asked Tsume wondering where the object of her recently confirmed affection was.

Tsume, looking up from her book and seeing the look on Hana's face was a bit confused at the look, considering that when Kiba got home earlier, he had told Tsume everything that had gone on, about Naruto's feeling for Hana, which brought a small smile to her face, and then about Hana's perceived interest in the Hyuga boy.

Before she could speak though, Kiba spoke up a bit gruffly. "What does it matter to you?" Hana was hurt when she heard the words come from her brothers mouth, what hurt her more was the tone of his voice. Had she really hurt Naruto that badly with her actions last night and this morning. Her thoughts were interrupted by Tsume when she spoke up.

"KIBA... enough!" Looking over to Hana now that she had silenced her son, though she understood why he said that and felt that way. "Naruto went to bed early, he said he wanted to rest up for his day of training and his first missions tomorrow. Let him sleep."

Hana nodded at this and headed up the stairs to her room, the triplets following her up the stairs, emitting soft whimpers at their companion's saddened demeanor. Once she reached the top of the stair and went to pass the door to her brothers' room, she looked in to see Naruto curled up and facing the wall, his back to the door... to her. Hana continued on to her room and got ready for bed, climbing in and letting her ninken all cuddle up around her, trying to offer her what little comfort they could. Before drifting off to sleep, Hana mumbled out "I'm sorry Naruto... kun."

**(next morning, Inuzuka main house)**

Like the night before, Hana had had one of the worst nights of sleep she had had in years. She had suffered through bad dreams and flat out nightmares last night that ranged from Naruto simply being angry with her, all the way to him hating and disowning her as he walked off with another girl, getting farther and farther away as she tried to catch him with outstretched hands reaching for her comfort. Having slept so badly, Hana had slept late today, she didn't even notice till she got down to the kitchen only to find the triplets laying around near their bowls, waiting for Hana to feed them. As she fed them, she let out a groan. "looks like I missed him again." Sitting down and slowly eating her breakfast Hana got an idea, a small smile forming on he face. 'I'll go see him at his training ground, see how he's doing during a break, and see if I can't fix things and get them started down the right track... the track that leads to Naruto-kun and I being together and happy!' Hana smiled finally and shoveled down the rest of her cereal before putting away her bowl and gathering her things to head off to see her Naruto.

**(at team 7's training field)**

Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura all stood or sat there at the bridge in their training field as they waited for their ever tardy sensei to show up.

"Man, where is Kaka-sensei? What do you think Sasuke-kun?" Her questions only garnered the "dark prince's" usual response of "hn". Feeling a little down, but not defeated by his response, or lack there of, turned to see Naruto sitting with his knees to his chest and his chin on his knees. This didn't look or feel right to her, the blond boy before her was always happy, always loud and boisterous. This quiet, depressed looking Naruto felt like an imposter to her. Sakura walked over to Naruto and sat down beside him, for once, not yelling at him as she did.

"Naruto, Naruto what's wrong? This isn't like you to be down like this." Sakura sat quietly beside him as she waited for him to respond. Sasuke had noticed Naruto's mood as well, but unlike Sakura, he really didn't care, he was just happy that one nuisance was quiet. When Sakura walked over and quietly tried to talk to said nuisance, Sasuke was even more pleased with Naruto's current mood since it had drawn Sakura's attention and quieted her voice.

After a few quiet minutes, Naruto finally answered, moving his head so that his forehead now rested against his knees as his muffled voice came to her ears. "It's nothing Sakura." This last bit really caught her attention, she may not have publicly said so, but she had always cherished the fact that Naruto had called her Sakura-chan since before the academy. They were friends, though nowhere near as good of friends now as they had been back then, but still enough that him leaving off the honorific stung her like a needle.

"Naruto, I know it's not nothing, and I know I'm not as good a friend as I used to be, but I am still your friend, please, tell me what's wrong?" Sakura softly pleaded with the depressed boy beside her.

Letting out a deep, defeated sigh, Naruto finally spoke up again. "It's... I've fallen in love..." Naruto let it sit at that for a moment, that moment was long enough for Sakura to get the wrong impression and speak up to that point.

"But Naruto, that's a great thing, love is wonderful, it should make you happy though, not sad."

"Normally I'd agree, but... the girl I love, she likes another boy." Sakura's face fell at that, now she knew why he felt so down, he loved someone that didn't love him back. Glancing over at Sasuke then back to Naruto, Sakura could honestly say that she knew exactly how that felt.

"Naruto, please stand up, okay? Please?" Sakura stood up and stood in front of him, waiting for him to stand as well. When he finally did, Sakura surprised him and stepped up to him, wrapping him in a tight hug, trying her best to offer him comfort. After a few moments, Naruto's arms hesitantly moved up and hugged her tight in return. Naruto held her in that hug as if it was the only thing holding him together right now, and Sakura was for once more than glad to hold on as long as he needed to help her once good friend. During that hug, Sakura resolved herself to be a good friend to Naruto once again, they way they had been before the academy and the fan-club made her act so mean to him.

**(path leading to team 7's field)**

Hana was walking calmly down the path as she got closer to the field she was told Naruto's team had signed up to use as their main training field. She was smiling, imagining the feeling that his smile gave her, the butterflies that had started to stir thinking of their first kiss after she confessed to him. Hana thought to herself that she was acting awful girly right now, but she quickly chalked it up to finding out that she had fallen in love with the boy that had been so much like a brother to her. Hana saw that the path was coming to an end which would empty into the field where she would soon see the man she hoped to soon be her new boyfriend. As she got there, she stopped in her tracks, here eyes wide, and her chest clenching. What caused this reaction in her? As she had just stepped into the clearing and looked around, she was greeted by the sight of Naruto and his pink haired team mate holding each other in a tight embrace. Hana was crushed.

XxXxXxX

Ok, there it is, Chapter 4. Once again, I hope you enjoy it, please, read and leave a review(not a flame) to let me know what you think.

I'd like to thank those that reviewed either by the review section, or those that sent me pm.


	5. Chapter 5: Stress and Adaptation

Greetings you glorious people. I know that I usually updated every other week at roughly the same time/day, I will simply say that I've had a LOT going on the last 2 weeks... that and the writer's block dropped from above and smashed me into the floor... I'm sorry I made you wait so long for this chapter, please, I hope you forgive me and enjoy this chapter.

Without forcing you to wait longer, let's get this over with, I don't own the characters, but Dar is my Intellectual property. So, please enjoy this new chapter I have to offer for you all.

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Chapter 5: Stress and Adaptation

"Naruto, please stand up, okay? Please?" Sakura stood up and stood in front of him, waiting for him to stand as well. When he finally did, Sakura surprised him and stepped up to him, wrapping him in a tight hug, trying her best to offer him comfort. After a few moments, Naruto's arms hesitantly moved up and hugged her tight in return. Naruto held her in that hug as if it was the only thing holding him together right now, and Sakura was for once more than glad to hold on as long as he needed to help her once good friend. During that hug, Sakura resolved herself to be a good friend to Naruto once again, the way they had been before the academy and the fan-club made her act so mean to him.

**(path leading to team 7's field)**

Hana was walking calmly down the path as she got closer to the field she was told Naruto's team had signed up to use as their main training field. She was smiling, imagining the feeling that his smile gave her, the butterflies that had started to stir thinking of their first kiss after she confessed to him. Hana thought to herself that she was acting awful girly right now, but she quickly chalked it up to finding out that she had fallen in love with the boy that had been so much like a brother to her. Hana saw that the path was coming to an end which would empty into the field where she would soon see the man she hoped to soon be her new boyfriend. As she got there, she stopped in her tracks, here eyes wide, and her chest clenching. What caused this reaction in her? As she had just stepped into the clearing and looked around, she was greeted by the sight of Naruto and his pink haired team mate holding each other in a tight embrace. Hana was crushed.

XxXxXxX

Two months had slowly passed by after Hana witnessed the boy she'd slowly come to love hugging his team mate, one she assumed he had fallen for before she could confess her feeling to him. Trying her best to keep her mind off of the possibly blossoming relationship between Naruto and his pink haired friend, Hana dove deep into her lessons. Before, she had been a model student, putting suitable effort into her studies, taking breaks, but also taking time to relax with her family, namely with Naruto. All of this extra effort did wonders for her medical skills and understanding, but came at the price of a cooler attitude toward the boys. Instead of sitting in the living room with her family at night like she used to, she would now spend all her time in her room going over text books, scrolls, and diagrams as she studied until meal times. She would stay long enough to fill her plate and head back to her room with her food in tow. The boys had tried a few times to come in and talk to her, each time resulting in their way being blocked by the triplets growling at them from the foot of the bed. Hana didn't intend to be so cold to them, but it was all she could do to keep her mind off of Naruto, and what could have been.

**(flash back)**

Hana came running back into the house, the door banging loudly both as it opened, then again as it was slammed shut. Another similar slam was heard from the door to her room. Normally this would have gone unnoticed since no one would have been home at this time of day, except today, Tsume was home relaxing... that is until the slamming of doors nearly had her fall off the couch. Getting up off the couch in a huff, Tsume headed up the stairs fully prepared to wring out which ever of her pups had decided to treat the doors in her house like training implements, until she got to Hana's door and heard sobbing and sniffling through the door. Tsume's anger was promptly stomped out as her maternal instincts kicked into overdrive.

Doing something she didn't do too often with her children, Tsume knocked on her door before slowly opening it to let herself in. "Hana, I'm coming in." Slowly stepping in, Tsume saw her girl laying on her side, knees tucked to her chin, tears streaming down her face and forming a growing spot on her pillow. Tsume came over and sat softly on the side of the bed beside Hana and softly rubbed her back. "What's wrong pup?"

"Nothing Mom." Hana sniffled and turned her face down into her pillow to try and hide from her mother. Tsume simply shook her head softly as she continued to rub her daughter's back, giving her a little time before deciding to push a little.

"Hana, look up at me." She waited for her to slowly look up at her, eyes now puffy as she looked at her mom. "want to tell me what's wrong? It might help." Hana waited for a few moments before, then lept up, hugging Tsume tight as a new wave of tears and sobbing overtook her. Tsume sat there quietly holding her, rubbing her back and softly shushing her as her crying slowly died down.

After her sobbing died down enough for her to talk, Hana sat back and rubbed her eyes a little before looking up at Tsume. "it's dumb Mom, it's nothing really."Sniffling again as she looked up, Hana knew that Tsume wasn't going to leave until she heard the real reason behind her current state. "I really like this boy... my friends say that I've fallen in love with him. The problem though, I saw him in the arms of another girl, and it looked like more than just the hug that friends would give each other, they stood there for a few minutes before I ran back here." Her tears starting anew after telling what happened. Tsume simply shook her head, knowing how her daughter felt, and softly held her, rubbing her back and softly soothing her until she fell asleep in her arms. Tsume gently lay her back into her bed before getting up and softly closing the door, wondering to herself if this had anything to do with how she had been acting toward Naruto the last couple days. She had figured that Hana had stopped acting so comfortable with Naruto because of her liking the Hyuga boy. If only she knew that the boy she had fallen for and seen hugging another girl was in fact Naruto.

**(end flash back)**

Since that day, Hana had suffered from nights filled with more bad dreams and nightmares all the way to nights of little to no sleep at all. These nights of restless and no sleep had taken a toll on her. Her studies had not suffered, but her social and family life had. Some days by the time she got done with her classes, studies, and practice, she would head home, get something to eat, then go to bed only to have more restless sleep. As much as she tried to hide it, and succeeding to a point with the boys, Hana couldn't hide her distress from Tsume. The Inuzuka matriarch had stopped by Hana's door many nights to hear her tossing and turning in her bed, wishing that there was something that she could do for her. She found herself wishing that she could help both of her ailing children.

Naruto had not been himself either in that span of time. Tsume noticed that he had been rather subdued since Ino had told them all about what Hana and Tenten had been talking about at the tea shop. He had been slowly getting his previous happy and easy attitude back, but he was clearly less energetic about things outside of training and missions.

**(flash back)**

A week and a half after his team's first mission, Naruto walked in and plopped down on the couch in his normal spot, looking over to where Hana would have usually been sitting only to find the spot vacant like it had been recently. Letting out a depressed sigh, Naruto laid his head back and closed his eyes. 'Of all people, it had to be Hinata's cousin.' Naruto let out a soft groan as he wondered how she could fall for a guy like that until it hit him. 'He's last year's rookie of the year, just like Sasuke was this year, and look at what all the girls in class did to get with him.' Naruto let out yet another sigh, this one gaining a verbal response that made him jump from the couch altogether.

"What's with all the sighing pup?" Naruto spun around to see Tsume leaning against the door frame with her arms crossed as she looked at him. Naruto looked down and away, finding a sudden interest in the place rug off to his side. "Naruto..." Her voice concerned, but still with a small commanding undertone as she spoke.

"Just some things on my mind Kaa-chan." Still not looking up at her as images of Hana acting fan-girlish beside long haired Hyuga as he stood by stoically. He only looked up when Tsume spoke up again, catching him by surprise, not from the act of speaking, but from what she had to say.

"You're thinking about Hana, aren't you?" The commanding tone gone from her voice altogether. "Wondering about her thoughts for that Hyuga boy, aren't you?" Naruto's eyes widened a bit before he hung his head again, only giving a small, pathetic looking nod in response. "I know about your feelings, and I'm completely fine with it. I'm actually all for it." She smiled down at Naruto, only for the smile to fade as he looked up at her in curiosity, his curiosity was tempered with an air of depression.

"It doesn't really matter now Kaa-chan, She's all for Hinata's cousin... besides, how did you know?" Naruto looked up at her with his head tilted off to the side. Tsume had to suppress the urge to chuckle at how cute this action made him look, even in his depressed state.

"Kiba told me everything that happened, I think he was hoping that I could do something in some way. That aside, what do you mean that it doesn't really matter?" Tsume moved to sit on the couch beside the once again seated Naruto.

"She likes Hinata's cousin... he was last year's rookie of the year. There's no way that Hana would pick me over that. I was only a mid level student at best. We also live together. She probably only sees me as her little brother anyway." Naruto slumped in the couch, his eyes looking down to his folded hands as they lay in his lap.

"Well, I can't tell you how she feels about you, or about the Hyuga boy for that matter. All I can tell you is that the pain will pass. We all go through heartbreak in our lives. Believe it or not, I did too when I was your age too." She softly smiled down at him as she thought to herself. 'it's too bad that I can't tell you that I had a crush on your father, and that your mother, my best friend is the one that got him instead of me.'

"It doesn't feel like it will go away." Pausing for a few moments before looking up at her. "how did you get over it?" Naruto watched as her smile grew a little, but also grew a bit sadder.

"I met Hana and Kiba's father. He wasn't a member of the clan, but he loved me, and I eventually loved him. I know you may not like to hear this, but if Hana doesn't come around, you may find someone that really likes you that you would have never even thought would." Pulling him into a hug, Tsume leaned down, showing her softer side as she kissed the top of his head, then softly rapped it with her knuckles. "Now, don't be so down, and don't tell anyone that I did that... people may think I'm going soft." She smiled brighter as Naruto softly laughed and smiled as well at her antics.

**(end flash back) **

**(current time, Hokage tower, mission hall)**

Team Seven made their way through the halls of the lower floors of the Hokage tower after their daily practice and training. Their destination being the mission hall to be issued what they had come to dread, things that someone must have thought funny to name missions. "Man, if we get stuck chasing down that evil thing that poses as a cat again... I might just make it a new chew toy for Kuromaru!" The soft sound of a hand slapping the back of a head sounded down the hall and some soft giggles following after. "Why'd you do that Sakura-chan?" Naruto had a small, playful scowl on his face as they walked, Sakura giggling away at his antics. Over the last two months, Naruto and Sakura had rebuilt their former friendship back to, if not better than it was when they were younger, and it showed in the way they interacted.

"Be nice, Tora's not a bad cat, it's just how you and Sasuke-kun go about trying to pick him up. I'm sure than being jumped on would make you claw the giant that jumped on you if you were in his place." smiling and giggling that much more. "Besides, Naruto-kun, I don't think the Daimyo's wife would be too happy about Tsume-san's ninken using her cat as a chew toy." Both of them looked over to the ever brooding Sasuke to receive his usual "hn" before they looked back at each other with a small smirk.

"You're right Sakura-chan, besides, I'm not sure that Tora would taste that good anyway." Sakura couldn't help but smirk as she shook her head.

"Okay you two, calm down, I'm sure that innocent little Tora hasn't managed to get out in less than 12 hours, we did turn him in at the end of the day yesterday after all." Kakashi spoke up from behind them, not entirely certain of his own words this time around. Hiding a small cringe at the thought of going after the little demon in cat's skin again made even his normally laid back demeanor darken a little. All of their trains of though, even Sasuke's, were interrupted as they reached the opening door of the mission hall. They saw team 8 stepping out of the doors with a bit of annoyance on their faces.

Naruto immediately walked over to Kiba and fist bumped before asking "What has you so down? Get another grocery "mission"?"

Kiba shook his head before looking back at Naruto. "We have to go catch Tora." As Kiba spoke that name, three heads snapped around to look at Kakashi, who was now chuckling as he scratched the back of his head with a sweat drop and a nervous smile.

"Well, good luck, and Kaa-chan restocked the first aid kit in the bathroom." Naruto chuckled as Kiba grumbled and left with his team as the all waved to each other. Kakashi guided the three teens into the room before closing the door behind them. They all stepped up to the desk, the genin standing before Kakashi as he took place behind them before the chorus of "Greetings Hokage-sama" and one "Hi Old Man" filled the room. The last one getting a small glare from one Iruka Umino as he went to scold Naruto, only to be stopped by a grinning Hokage.

"Good afternoon Naruto, and the rest of you as well. I assume that you are here for a mission?" Receiving a nod from them all, Hiruzen nodded his head and looked down at his small stack of missions before cocking a brow and looking back up at them. "I'm sorry to say, but we don't have any D-rank missions left today. I'm afraid that you'll have to come back by tomorrow."

Naruto was a little happy, that meant that he could try and talk Kakashi into a little more training, that is until an idea popped into his head. "Hey Old Man, what about a higher ranked mission, I'm sure that we could handle it!"

To all their surprise, Sasuke spoke up after that. "I agree, these low level chores are demeaning to an elite like myself. I demand that we be given a mission that is exactly that. A mission, not these menial tasks that we've been stuck with."

Hiruzen and Kakashi both eyed the young man, fearing that his arrogance was growing out of control thanks to the ass kissing that he was receiving from the civilians, the civilian council, and the elders. Looking up at Kakashi from his seat. "Kakashi, do you believe that they are capable of undertaking a higher ranked mission already?"

Kakashi looked down at his students, Naruto was honestly confident, but not cocky about it, he showed that he honestly thought that they all were ready. He then looked to Sakura. She seemed a little unsure until she looked at Naruto standing there smiling. At that point, there was a small nod to her head and she stood a bit taller and became more sure of her self. After the last two months, this didn't surprise Kakashi as much as it used to, he knew of their re-solidifying friendship, and approved of it. Now, as Kakashi looked over at Sasuke, he saw nothing but a pride filled arrogant scowl on his face. That look told Kakashi that unlike Naruto, Sasuke didn't want this as a challenge to improve himself, Sasuke honestly believed that he was just above doing D-ranked missions. Kakashi scowled a little at that before clearing his face of emotions before looking back up to his Hokage and giving a small smile and a nod. "I do, they have shown that they can handle themselves and I think them ready for the challenge of a low C-ranked mission if you have one and see them fit to do so as well Hokage-sama."

While Kakashi was looking over his team, Hiruzen had been doing the same and seeing the same. He was not surprised in the least about what he saw from Naruto or Sasuke, he was though, a bit surprised to see Sakura's actions, as he had known from her academy and early reports from Kakashi, that she had a very deep fan girl level crush on the "last Uchiha", though it made him happy to see her act as such around him. It gave him hope for his surrogate grandson. "I believe that we should see if they actually are, and I do have a mission here that could ease them into higher missions. It is a C-ranked escort and protection mission. Iruka-kun, please let in Tazuna. I won't lie to you all, there may be some combat. Tazuna has informed us that there are some bandits have been antagonizing him and his build crew as they work on a new bridge in Nami no kuni. You are to protect him, and his crew until the bridge is completed." A few moments later, a medium height man in his late 50s, maybe early 60s stepped in. He was bespectacled with a large gray beard and dark eyes wearing a sleeveless v-neck shirt and a towel around his neck. The man also carried a gourd that he was often sipping from in one hand.

Looking over at the gathered nin, then back over at Hiruzen. "These are the people you are sending to guard me? I see an emo prince, a girl, and a blond shrimp being lead by a one eyed man!" Sasuke bristled at that, Sakura deflated and slumped her shoulders a little until Naruto put his hand on her shoulder before looking over at the old man with his jaw firm, but calm. "We may not look like much, but we are Ninja, we are trained, and if nothing else, our sensei is a trained, talented, and accomplished jounin of great renown, and if none of that helps, we would all die before any harm came to you." Naruto stood as tall and proud as he could as he said all of that. Behind him, both Kakashi and Hiruzen were proud of the young man that Naruto had become.

Tazuna took a moment after hearing that before looking back over at Hiruzen and saying "I guess that is good enough." then almost stumbled as he turned to head out the room. "I want to be out of here tomorrow morning at the latest."

Naruto let out a breath that he didn't know he'd been holding since he spoke up, then looked over at Sakura, then over at Hiruzen who was sitting there smiling at him. "Very well said Naruto, now, you're all dismissed."

Kakashi took this moment to speak up. "Okay, you three should gear up, get everything you think you might need for a month, I'm not sure how long we'll be out, but may as well be safe about it. Get going you three." The genin all saluted and left to get ready before Kakashi turned and bowed to Hiruzen and left as well.

XxXxXxX

Chapter 5 is done. As you can see, they are indeed going to Wave, I altered it a little, and I hope that you all like the changes that I've made so far, and hopefully the ones that are still to come as well. Be nice to each other, and hopefully to me as well.


	6. Chapter 6: C-ranked?

Hello everyone, sorry that I'm late in the update again. I've been rather disappointed lately, I've been applying everywhere and still no job offers. You guys don't want to hear about that though, I'm sure you have your own problems. Be assured though, I will keep writing. I've recently also started playing Star Wars The Old Republic... it's addictive to say the least. On with the show... but first **clears throat** I do not own Naruto, Hana, or any of the characters in this save Darious, and yes, for those people that call me an idiot for claiming that, Darious is my intellectual property, thus, MINE! Sorry for the outburst, on with the show... story... this.

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Chapter 6: C-ranked?

"We may not look like much, but we are Ninja, we are trained, and if nothing else, our sensei is a trained, talented, and accomplished jonin of great renown, and if none of that helps, we would all die before any harm came to you." Naruto stood as tall and proud as he could as he said all of that. Behind him, both Kakashi and Hiruzen were proud of the young man that Naruto had become.

Tazuna took a moment after hearing that before looking back over at Hiruzen and saying "I guess that is good enough." then almost stumbled as he turned to head out the room. "I want to be out of here tomorrow morning at the latest."

Naruto let out a breath that he didn't know he'd been holding since he spoke up, then looked over at Sakura, then over at Hiruzen who was sitting there smiling at him. "Very well said Naruto, now, you're all dismissed."

Kakashi took this moment to speak up. "Okay, you three should gear up, get everything you think you might need for a month, I'm not sure how long we'll be out, but may as well be safe about it. Get going you three." The genin all saluted and left to get ready before Kakashi turned and bowed to Hiruzen and left as well.

XxXxXxX

It had been two days since Team 7 had left the village with Tazuna on their first C-ranked mission. Everything had been calm and quiet. If it weren't known that the 4 of the 5 traveling companions were ninja, it might seem like a nice little vacationing group. The appearance of the group only served to reinforce this image. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were all walking around Tazuna almost like normal kids would to listen to stories from the old man as they traveled. Kakashi walked behind them, his nose buried in his little orange book as it always was, and Tazuna was walking slowly, his eyes moving all around the surrounding area as they walked. To a normal onlooker, this would seem normal for the old man to do, taking in the sights of the world around him, appreciating nature as he passed through, but to the trained eyes of Kakashi, it was greatly suspicious.

"So what's it like where you're from Tazuna-san?" The old man looked over at Sakura, dabbing sweat from his brow with his towel as he thought for a moment.

"It's a cozy little fishing village, but I'm hoping to make it boom with trade caravans once I finish my bridge. But it seems bandits like the control and riches they get when they ambush the boats and the workers, which is why I hired you all, too protect me and my workers while we get my bridge finished, and what a bridge it's going to be, like nothing you've seen." At this point, Tazuna's nervousness had fallen away as he happily boasted about his grand bridge and the fact that he designed and lead the team that's building it. While Sakura and Sasuke seemed interested in the description of his home and his bridge, Naruto was immersed in his own thoughts, namely thoughts revolving around Hana and what she was probably doing with that stuck up Hyuga.

**(Back in Konoha in a training field)**

A loud sneeze echoed through the field, followed up quickly by a loud, resounding crack. The sneeze was let out by Neji in the middle of a spar with Lee. The loud crack was also caused by Neji, this time by his body impacting with a large tree at the edge of the training field, launched compliments of Lee's outstretched leg that had just landed a massive kick to the young boy. As Neji slumped down against the tree, Lee looked over to a staring Tenten and a shocked, but smiling Gai, who quickly ran toward Lee yelling his name.

**(At the Inuzuka main house)**

Hana let out a sneeze as she sat on the couch, where Naruto would usually sit if he were there, curled up a little and, one might say, moping. Tsume stepped into the room a moment before the sneeze and looked over at her as she did. "Bless you pup, you coming down with something?" Taking a seat on the other side of the couch and looking at her.

"No Mom, I'm fine, not coming down with anything." letting out a sigh as she looked down at the floor.

"Then someone's probably thinking about you, maybe that Hyuga boy?" Though Tsume would have liked for her to be with Naruto, she also wanted Hana to be happy. Hana looked over at her mother at that statement with her eyebrow cocked.

"Hyuga boy?"

"Neji I think his name was." Tsume now getting a bit of a confused look to her face.

"Why would he be thinking about me? He and Tenten have something going on, though I'm not sure to what level." This did not surprise Tsume, after all, Hana had told her on that day that she had witnessed the boy she liked hugging his female team mate the day she had come running home and cried herself to sleep.

"I know that you're sad that he's with another girl, but that's no reason for you to give up all hope on him, you're both young." Tsume put her hand comfortingly on Hana's shoulder, only to receive a flummoxed look from her daughter.

"What are you talking about Mom? I don't like Neji... where in the world did you get that idea?" Sitting for a minute as she took in this information under the very confused gaze of Hana, gears started to turn in her head again.

"From your brothers, they were told by someone that you had been having a conversation about that Neji boy as if you and your friend were interested in him, but that's not important, who is it that you DO like? Who's the boy that has you all mixed up and tossing and turning all night every night?" It was Hana's turn to sit there stunned and silent for a few moments before looking up at her mother.

"I... don't really want to say, I don't think you'd like who I say it is." Hana's head dipped and looked down at her lap, sure that if she told her mother who it really was, she'd be mad, disgusted, disappointed, or any combination of the three.

"Pup, tell me, I can't help if you don't."

"It's, it's Naruto." Hana screwed her eyes shut, waiting for the harsh words that she was sure would flood her ears. After a few seconds of silence, all she heard instead was small chuckles coming from her mother. "What's funny about that?!" Asking in a huff, Hana sat up straight and looked at her now laughing mother, the intensity of her anger growing with the intensity of Tsume's laughing. After a good 2 minutes of laughter, Tsume calmed herself down and looked at her fuming daughter.

"I'm laughing because you and he are both such children still. Such a stupid little mistake and you both have been moping about for the last 2 some odd months."

As Tsume got her breathing under control again, Hana narrowed her eyes at her mother before voicing the question on her mind. "What are you talking about? First you think that I like Neji, then when I tell you that it's Naruto that I like, you start laughing and call both of us stupid!"

Taking another moment to bring her breathing under control, Tsume looked Hana in the eyes and delivered the news. "Hana, what's so funny, and why you're both stupid is... Naruto loves you too, and you both have the exact same misconception. Naruto was told that you liked and were talking about some boy that was your class's rookie of the year, just like that annoying Uchiha was in Naruto's class. As for what you saw, well, Naruto's team mate Sakura, the hug that you saw. I'm willing to bet that that was her comforting her former, and now once again friend. I would suggest that the moment Naruto comes back, you be waiting at that gate for him and tell him exactly how you feel, because I don't think that little rosette friend of his will be able to resist him too long herself."

Hana sat there with a shocked, slack jawed look on her face as she listed to all of this, her brain sitting there restarting at least three times before she squealed and jumped into a hug with Tsume. "Naruto loves me! He loves me too... but, what if I'm too late Mom? What do I do?"

Pushing Hana back to arms reach and looking her in the eyes. "we just have to hope that his love for you is still just as strong for you as yours still is for him." smiling softly at her daughter and pulling her back into a hug while thinking to herself. 'I just hope that he does.'

**(on the trail with Team 7)**

As the team and Tazuna continued their walk, the team came across a puddle to the side of the path. Normally none of them would have paid much attention to it, and indeed Tazuna, Sakura, and Sasuke paid it little to no mind at all. Naruto on the other hand was a bit confused about it. His confusion stemmed from the fact that though he could see water, he couldn't smell any, which struck him as a bit strange. Kakashi also noticed it for other reasons though. After a few steps, Naruto turned to Kakashi to ask about the strange situation just in time to see a spiked chain wrap around their sensei, tighten, and shred him in half in front of him. Naruto only noticed that the others noticed as well when he heard Sakura scream, which brought him back to reality in time to hear the two men that had just killed their sensei speak up.

"Okay brats, give us the old man, do that, and we promise, we won't hurt you... too badly." One would be able to see their faces if they weren't covered by what looked like some kind of breather mask for gas or diving. One had a single black metal horn attached to the center of his Kiri hitai-ate, the other had two attached to his. They both wore a single oversized, clawed, metal gauntlet on opposing arms that was connected to each other by a long shuriken chain.

Not even waiting a second after the remark, Naruto quickly launched himself at the men with a shout of "TSUGA!". His attack was blocked by one of the gauntlets, letting off a shower of sparks from his kunai striking the gauntlet before he jumped back and landed beside Sasuke as he had brought out a kunai and shuriken, throwing them both at the men who simply chuckled for a moment as they saw where he had aimed until they felt the chain between them get pinned to a tree by the shuriken, then get staked further into place by the kunai. Shrugging this off, the one with the single horn huffed before giving the chain a yank only to find the chain wouldn't budge, gaining the man a shocked look. The look on his face only grew more as he heard Naruto say in a growl.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Three more clones of the boy appeared, then with a grin that could be mistaken for almost feral, he spoke out again, this time calling out "Gatenga!" before all four Narutos flew at the man, this time rotating like a buzz-saw instead of spinning like a drill as he had before. The four rotating forms flew at the man before he could even move, three of them impacting with him, one in the chest, another in the arm, and the third hitting his leg, snapping it on impact as the rotating masses tore through the fabric and armor under it, leaving deep gashes in his flesh before he fell back, his chest and leg exposed and bloody, his gauntlet landed broken and still attached to the chain as the real Naruto landed, his clones leaving in poofs of smoke, their jobs done. Naruto looked over to see Sasuke's opponent running toward Sakura and Tazuna, Naruto grit his teeth...

Simultaneously while Naruto was taking care of his target, Sasuke landed beside his, grabbed his free arm and leveled a kick at the man's chest right as he released the chain from his gauntlet and flew back, seemingly as if from the kick until he landed on his feet with a derisive chuckle and dashed forward, Sasuke assumed it was at him until he veered to the said, aiming for Sakura and Tazuna. Sasuke turned to see a slightly trembling Sakura standing in front of Tazuna with a kunai held out defensively in front of her as the man rushed at them, clawed gauntlet drawn back as he approached, Sasuke crouched...

After screaming at the site of Kakashi getting shredded by these two assailants, Sakura stood stunned for a moment as she watched her two team mates jump right into action to take out their attackers. She wasn't going to lie to herself, she was absolutely terrified at the moment and could only stand there as Naruto and Sasuke held their own, that is until she saw the second man running at her and Tazuna and shakily drew out a kunai and held it before her in a basic defensive stance and thought to herself 'if I'm going to go out, I'll at least go out trying to do my job and make Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun proud of me!' and couldn't help but widen her eyes as Naruto and Sasuke flashed into place before her, Sasuke with a kunai in hand, Naruto with a pair, both crouched in a defensive stance until...

As the man approached the genin, he couldn't help but grin behind his mask until...

five sets of eyes bulged a little as Kakashi appeared in front of them all, the attacker's neck securely held in the crook of his elbow in a very painful clothesline then grip as he stood their holding the limp, unconscious man in place a mere two feet from his students and client. "Very good, all three of you, sorry I didn't jump in sooner, but it looks like you would have had things handled even if I hadn't. I'm proud of you! Naruto, Sasuke, go grab the other one and drag him over to this tree would you?" Kakashi gave off his eye smile to them as he walked over to a tree near the edge of the path and set down the unconscious man.

Once the boys had dragged the other over and the men were both securely tied to the tree, Kakashi once again gave praise to his students before turning a sideways glare at Tazuna and said in a cool, all business tone that the genin had yet to hear from their sensei "Tazuna, we need to talk." Tazuna shrank at the tone of voice that Kakashi had aimed at him. He started sweating even more when he saw the looking in his lone, visible eye with the others looking at him as well. "It would seem that you have not told us everything when you asked for this mission, have you? These two are chunin level missing-nin known as the Demon Brothers, and their target was clearly you." The next statement was frighteningly kind, but they all could feel the cold, commanding undertone to it. "Care to tell us everything, especially what you left out in your request?"

Tazuna had to keep himself from falling to his ass on the ground in front of the now wall of nin before him. "I'm sorry I lied, but it's all we could afford. If I had told you the truth, you'd have charged more than my entire village could afford to pay." Standing up and moving to a downed log near the tied up nin and taking a seat. "My home has been taken over by a gangster posing as a businessman, or the other way around, either way he has my entire home under his thumb. He's bought off all the fishing boats, companies, transportation, in short he's bought out or destroyed over 90% of the boats on the island so that everyone has to depend only on him and his shipping "business". He's kidnapped women to work in his clubs on the main land, he's making children work as slave maids in his mansion on the far end of the island. He has thugs, bandits, rogue samurai, and from the looks of these two and what you just said, he has missing-nin now too. He's taken away the hopes, dreams, and even lives away from our people. His Name is Gato."

Kakashi raised his brow at that name "you mean Gato, as in Gato Company, the shipping magnate? You're telling me that the head of a major shipping company is the man behind your land's degradation?" Kakashi had head of the man, he was rich to the point that his bank could rival that of the Hyuga and possibly the former Uchiha clan banks combined. He also knew that he had connections with a few high ranking officials around the elemental nations thanks to the size of his shipping operations.

"It's Gato alright, I get to hear about him from the threats that keep getting leveled on my head every day. I'll understand if you decide to head back home since I did lie to you all about the mission and it's severity." Tazuna hung his head a bit, seemingly a little too theatrically to be considered normal. After a minute of thinking about in, Naruto spoke up.

"Sensei, are we going to leave him to his fate and go back home, or are we going to follow through with the mission?"

"With this information, and the fact that we've already come across the Demon Brothers here, this C-ranked mission has jumped to B-ranked at the least, A-ranked at the worst if there's more like them waiting for us." Kakashi pointed his thumb at the bound men behind them. "In all honesty, we really should go back to the village and refile this request and have a more suitable team assigned to handle all this."

Naruto looked between Kakashi, the beaten and bound men, then at Tazuna. Taking a slow breath, Naruto was about to speak up before he was beat to it by Sasuke. "I for one would rather finish this mission than to go back and have it look like we gave up and and couldn't handle it. I will not have that stain on the Uchiha pride!"

Naruto watched as Sakura nodded along to Sasuke's statement before she spoke up as well. "We should help him, and with You, Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun, we shouldn't have any problems. I mean look at how these guys were handled." She smiled at both boys as she spoke.

"Well Naruto, your team mates think that we should continue on with the mission as is, what are your thoughts on this matter?"

Naruto was quiet for a minute as he thought about it before looking up at Kakashi with a calm, collected set to his jaw. "I think that we're taking a big risk by doing this... but we're shinobi of Konoha, our job is to risk our lives for others. I say we go ahead with the mission."

Kakashi fought to hide the smile of pride at that statement before he schooled himself again and looked down at Tazuna, then back to his students. "We will send a message back to the village about these two, but we will go ahead with the mission as soon as I'm done doing that. Everyone get what rest you can while you have this chance." Kakashi pulled out a scroll and a brush and ink kit and knelt down to write out his message before summoning one of his summon dogs and having it take the scroll back to the village. "Okay everyone, let's get going."

The genin all stood, ready to go ahead, Naruto stepping up and taking the lead while speaking "Okay Gato, we're coming to free Tazuna's home from you with this bridge, and we won't let you stop us."

Behind him, Sakura smiled warmly at him as she felt herself getting warm on the insides. Her eyes widened for a moment when she suddenly realized something, 'I think I'm falling for Naruto...'

XxXxXxX

There ya have it, chapter 6. I'm not exactly happy with it, but I hope that you all enjoy it. Again, I'm sorry that I took so long to get this out to you all. Please, read and review, let me know what you like, gives me the warm fuzzies when you do.


	7. Chapter 7: What's with this fog?

Normal AN at the bottom, just gonna give the normal I don't own shtick up here this time.

I do not own Naruto or the characters therein, I do own Darious though.

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Chapter 7: What's with this fog?

Naruto was quiet for a minute as he thought about it before looking up at Kakashi with a calm, collected set to his jaw. "I think that we're taking a big risk by doing this... but we're shinobi of Konoha, our job is to risk our lives for others. I say we go ahead with the mission."

Kakashi fought to hide the smile of pride at that statement before he schooled himself again and looked down at Tazuna, then back to his students. "We will send a message back to the village about these two, but we will go ahead with the mission as soon as I'm done doing that. Everyone get what rest you can while you have this chance." Kakashi pulled out a scroll and a brush and ink kit and knelt down to write out his message before summoning one of his summon dogs and having it take the scroll back to the village. "Okay everyone, let's get going."

The genin all stood, ready to go ahead, Naruto stepping up and taking the lead while speaking "Okay Gato, we're coming to free Tazuna's home from you with this bridge, and we won't let you stop us."

Behind him, Sakura smiled warmly at him as she felt herself getting warm on the insides. Her eyes widened for a moment when she suddenly realized something, 'I think I'm falling for Naruto...'

XxXxXxX

It had been another day of travel at a brisk pace, for a civilian, before the quintet arrived at a dock enshrouded in fog and spotted a middle aged man that cautiously waved to the group, Tazuna in particular. After very little pleasantries, everyone boarded the small boat. They spent the first half of the trip with the engine on and making a quick pace of their trip until, to the surprise of the genin, the motor was cut off. They looked back to see the boatman taking the long ferryman's oar that had been hanging beside the motor and starts to paddle them along in near silence.

Sasuke was the one to speak up first. "Why did you turn off the motor?" Tazuna quickly shushed the boy before speaking up in a hushed voice.

"we have to be as quiet as we can be because of Gato. Remember him? The man that hired missing-nin to kill me?"

"Tazuna's right Sasuke, if they hear us getting close, they may ambush us, and with this heavy fog, we'd never know they were coming." Kakashi spoke to his students while looking out over the fog, thinking to himself. 'This fog doesn't comfort me in the least.'

Sakura looked over at Tazuna, "That reminds me, what's with this fog? Is it always like this?"

"Not all the time, but a great deal of it, yes, especially in the mornings." Tazuna looked a little nervous as he answered, Sakura wrote it off as him being worried about the situation he was in, and nothing more as she looked around a little until a massive, imposing shadow started to form in the fog. Eyes growing wide at the site, Sakura spoke up in awe, drawing everyone's attention, "is that...?"

"Yep, that's my masterpiece, that's the bridge that I've been building for so long now. Amazing, isn't it?" Tazuna spoke with the utmost pride in his work, his nervousness completely gone as he spoke of it.

"It's massive." Naruto looked over the bridge in slight awe, taking in the immense scale of the project, figuring that it had to be that big just to accommodate all the merchants that they were hoping to attract once it was finished. "How long do you think it will take for you to get it finished Tazuna-san?" Naruto looked over at the old man that was now admiring his work.

Finally looking away from the bridge and down and Naruto, "Maybe 3 weeks if things go well, 2 if we're very lucky."

After another half hour or so riding in the fog and taking in the bridge, the boat came to a series of tunnels in a large breakwater type wall. As the exited the tunnel, the genin's eyes widened as they took in the scenery unveiling itself before them. Tazuna simply smiled. The boatman pulled up next to the closest dock to let them all off before letting them know that this was as far as he went before starting up the engine and speeding away back the way he had come. "Well, let's get going, we still have a ways to go before we get to my home." Tazuna started walking along the dock, Team 7 right on his heels.

Another half hour passed with the team walking on all four sides of Tazuna on an empty dirt road, Sakura was alternating looks between Sasuke, who was busy brooding, and Naruto in the front of the group, who looked to be rather attentive of their surroundings as he would occasionally sniff at the air as he turned his head from time to time. As she walked, trying to concentrate on her surroundings, Sakura found herself in a debate with her inner persona.

"Sasuke-kun has the whole, dark, handsome loner with a hurt heart and a tragic story." Inner-Sakura stated, standing in a pose with her hands held together over her heart as if she were admiring a celebrity.

"But he doesn't show us an kind of emotion other than anger and apathy, where as Naruto-kun does, he's happy, friendly, kind... he's like the Sun, even his hair adds to that."

Inner moved so that she was tapping her finger against the side of her chin as she thought about it. "Yeah, but Sasuke-kun also has style, his clothes, his hair, the way he walks and talks."

"I guess, but..." looking over at Sasuke again. "Naruto is right though, his hair does kinda look like a duck's ass in the back." Snerking as she held back a laugh while Inner went into a full blown fit of laughter when the image of a duck replaced his hair, then turned to look at her and quacked.

Inner calmed down and stood back up, "Okay, yes, Naruto-kun was right about Sasuke-kun's hair looks like a duck's ass, but what about his eyes? They're so strong and determined." Making a fist and holding it up to make her point.

"That may be true, but they're also cold and hold no love. Naruto-kun's eyes though, they're strong and determined too, and are like the deepest ocean, you could just get lost staring into them."

Inner stopped for a moment and created two mental images there to stand before her, one of Sasuke and one of Naruto. Once that was done, she moved over to "Sasuke" and looked into his eyes and a moment later couldn't help but give off a small shiver at what she saw. She then moved over to "Naruto" and looked into his. When she did, like Sakura had said, she found herself drawn to stare deeper into his eyes, feeling almost pulled into them, a warm, comfortable feeling overtook her as she moved closer to the replica Naruto. She was only an inch away before she was snapped out of her own little world with Naruto when Sakura called out with indignation.

"HEY... if anyone's going to get to kiss Naruto-kun first, it's gonna be ME, and it's gonna be real! Not in my head by you!"

Inner actually blushed at the thought that she had almost kissed the smirking blond young man before her before shaking her head and getting rid of the mental images and speaking up. "I have to say, you're right, Naruto-kun's eyes are absolutely captivating."

"Yeah." Letting out a little sigh that only Kakashi noticed "but he's in love with another girl, not me. He's a great friend, and I'm glad that I decided to rebuild out friendship, but..."

Inner crossed her arms and let out a long sigh. "you want to be more with him now that you're starting to see what kind of guy he really is." It was more a statement than a question since Inner was feeling the same way. "The question is, would you be able to take her place in his eyes now that she's with someone else, or does he hold onto the hope that he has a chance with her?"

Sakura was silent after that, running those questions through her head over and over until in a burst of motion, Naruto drew a senbon and sent it flying into a bush to the side of the path, eliciting a squeak from Sakura and a growl from Sasuke. Kakashi on the other hand held out a wait and see stance to see what caused Naruto to do such a thing as Naruto drew a kunai and moved cautiously into the bush, then appearing again holding a white rabbit. Sakura was a bit sad that Naruto had killed a rabbit, not even noticing that the color of its coat was very out of place like Kakashi and Naruto did, though both kept their mouths shut about it. "Looks like we have the meat for dinner tonight Tazuna, does your daughter know how to cook rabbit?" Naruto gave a small smile as Tazuna mentioned that he thought she could. Kakashi knew that something was wrong, for that rabbit to have a white coat meant that it was raised somewhere that seasons didn't matter. It dawned on him that that rabbit wasn't a escaped pet, it was meant to be used for a Kawarimi jutsu.

A second after Kakashi realized this, he and Naruto both heard the sound of flying, spinning metal coming at them and in unison shouted for everyone to get down. A spit second after everyone had hit the dirt, a massive blade flew overhead before lodging in a tree behind them. Everyone looked up at it before a tall, muscular, shirtless man landed on the handle of what was now known to be a massive sword.

Getting up and walking forward a little to look up at the man standing on the handle. "My, my, you're Zabuza Momochi, Exiled ninja of Kirigakure."

The man looked down at him as Naruto tensed, ready to spring into action if needed, and Kakashi moved his hand to his hitai-ate, ready to lift it and reveal his left eye. "And you must be Sharingan Kakashi." This statement got Sasuke's attention, stiffening as he looked over at Kakashi. "I'm afraid that you're going to need to hand over the old man to me now."

As Kakashi held the band of his hitai-ate, he spoke to his team "Take up Swastika formation, guard Tazuna, do not engage in this fight. Your first and only priority is to protect Tazuna. Is that understood?" Sakura went to protest but Kakashi cut her off with a firm tone. "You three guard the client, and that's all." The genin got into position, Sasuke and Sakura both with a single kunai held out at the ready, Naruto holding a pair as he stood between Tazuna and the imminent battle. As they got into positions, Kakashi lifted his hitai-ate to uncover his closed left eye, popping it open a moment later to reveal a mature sharingan eye.

Seeing the fabled eye, Zabuza now turned fully to Kakashi, though cocking his head to the side and looking down his nose at the elite Jonin. "Oh, I'm honored, I get to see the Sharingan eye that I've heard so much about."

Naruto looked over at Kakashi, seeing a glimpse of his scar framed eye, seeing the red iris that contained 3 black tomoe arranged around the pupil. Naruto thought back to a couple years back.

**(2 years ago – Ichiraku Ramen stand)**

Naruto sat quietly reading over a scroll across the table from Darious as they waited on their order to come up, which was being a little delayed by the young waitress Ayame who was staring unabashedly at Darious with hearts in her eyes. "So, what can you tell me about the Uchiha clan Naruto?" Darious had been slowly teaching Naruto about each of the clans in the village to help him better acquaint himself with his classmates and make a better team mate to anyone he may be paired with upon graduation.

"They were one of the founding clans of the village alongside the Senju clan. Their clan members usually use fire based jutsus."

Nodding his head, Darious took that chance to ask another question to see if he understood the reason behind that. "Tell me Naruto, why do they predominantly use fire elemental jutsus?"

"Because their clan pretty much all have fire nature as their main elemental affinity?" Naruto tried to seem sure about his answer even though his answer came across as a question.

"Exactly, continue." Nodding his head as a bowl was set before him by Ayame, then pulled away by Darious before he had a chance to dig in. "Answer first, guilty pleasures after." Smirking at the sour look on Naruto's face as he almost growled at his brother figure.

"The Uchiha clan also has one of the two famous dojutsus of the village, the Sharingan. The only ones that know how it's activated are the members of the clan themselves. It has 3 levels after activation that are dictated by the number of "tomoe" in each eye." Reaching out for his bowl, only to have his hand swatted.

"I know there's more to that scroll that you haven't mentioned."

"Damn it Dar-nii..." letting out a sigh "their eyes give them the ability to read and overcome genjutsus, taijutsu, and ninjutsu, also allowing them to copy jutsu and easily cast genjutsus can I have my ramen now?!" reaching for the bowl again as Ayame giggled at the antics from behind the counter.

Sliding the bowl toward Naruto before pulling it away again with a small chuckle. "After you answer me this last question." getting an actual growl from Naruto this time before he nodded. "what do you do if you get an Uchiha on your team?

Naruto thought back to what Tsume and Darious had both told him about that clan and its members before looking Darious in the eyes and answering "don't let them watch me training when their dojutsu is active because I put in too much hard work learning my skills for them to steal them and pass them off as their own!" Darious nodded before sliding the bowl back to Naruto, who happily gave thanks before scarfing down his guilty little pleasure that he always made Darious buy him when he was in town.

**(present time)**

"So that's why he's called the Copy Ninja." Naruto spoke up from his position in the defensive position as Kakashi got ready to fight.

Zabuza spoke from his perch once again. "Yes, Kakashi Hatake, listed in the bingo book I used to carry with me when I was first in the Kiri Anbu squad, as the man who copied 1,000 jutsu, Konoha's copy-nin Kakashi: capture if possible."

Sasuke thought to himself, while staring at Kakashi from his position in formation, 'I don't understand...only select few members of the Uchiha clan ever get that special trait, could it be...'

Crouching low on the handle as he stared down at the team and his target. "Let's cut this chatter, I've got an old fart to kill. As much of a pain in the ass as it may be, it looks like I'll have to defeat you first, Kakashi." Quickly kicking off of the tree, sliding his blade free in the process, Zabuza vanished from site before Naruto caught site of him from the corner of his eye.

"Over there!" Zabuza was now standing on the water a short distance away from them.

"And he's standing ON the water?!" Sakura was completely astounded at the sight of Zabuza standing there on the water, posed with the massive sword strapped to his back, one arm in front of him with a half ram seal, the other held straight above him in another half ram seal as the water around him swirled and swayed as he pumped chakra through his coils as he pushed it into the water that started to vaporize and raise around him before softly calling out "Ninpou: Kirigakure no jutsu" and vanishing as his body is obscured behind a heavy mist that started filling the are.

Kakashi took a few steps closer to the water line, "He'll try taking me out first..."

Sakura's guard dropping a little as she asked with a little fear in her voice "What is he?"

Keeping his eyes on the water and listening as he spoke up. "Zabuza Momochi, former member of Kiri's Anbu, well known for his Silent Killing techniques. Exactly as it sounds, he could kill in an instant in absolute silence, often killing his targets before they ever knew what happened to them. It is possibly that you will end up like said targets and be dead before you ever notice. I won't be able to utilize my sharingan fully now. Keep your guards up. If you fail, you'll pretty much die."

Naruto narrowed his eyes and deadpanned "jee, thanks Kakashi-sensei... way to instill hope and confidence in us... and this mist is just getting thicker!"

Not familiar with jutsus, Tazuna spoke up at Naruto's comment. "well, we are surrounded by the sea, so it often gets misty around here, even in short notices."

Naruto nearly face faulted at Tazuna's obliviousness to the gravity of the situation. The mist continued to get denser with each passing second until the genin noticed Kakashi disappear from sight. A few moments later, Zabuza's voice echoed around them as if the fog itself were speaking to them. "Eight points."

Looking around, suppressing her rising panic. "what is that?!"

Zabuza spoke up again, his voice echoing around them from every direction "Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular vein, clavicle, kidneys, and the heart... which of these vital spots do you want me to strike?"

This garnered reactions from them all. Tazuna's eyes widened as he was looking around. Sasuke grit his teeth and, counter intuitively, narrowed his eyes. Kakashi, still on alert, kept his eyes scanning the area.

Sakura's face adopted a shocked, almost afraid look to it. Naruto on the other hand, had his eyes closed completely, but kept his head turning, listening and sniffing at the air. He quickly cursed under his breath and opened his eyes again, pissed that he couldn't hear or smell anything that would give the former Kiri nin away in this dense fog. Moments of silence passed before Kakashi had had enough. Closing his right eye and adopting a stance and forming the ram seal, Kakashi focused his chakra to immense levels, forcing away the chakra infused fog immediately around them in the process. This action got a rather unexpected result from Sasuke, much to his own chagrin later. Sasuke froze in his spot, his mind reeling in near terror from the sheer power pouring off of his sensei mere feet in front of him. Sasuke started to raise his kunai, ready to "escape" the overwhelming feeling he was experiencing.

"Sasuke" The voice of Kakashi stopped him in his tracks, kunai freezing in place as it was poised to plunge into his own stomach. Looking up to Kakashi as he spoke again. "Try not to worry, I will protect the three of you with my life. You're my team, and I won't let any of you die." Turning his head back toward them and giving them his normal eye smile, this time with both of them... until Zabuza spoke up... from behind the genin and in front of Tazuna.

His body crouched with his legs spread overly wide as if in an exaggerated horse stance, his right hand before his lowered head in a half ram stance, and his massive sword held behind him, horizontally across his back and shoulders held in a reverse grip in his outstretched left hand. "I don't know about that. This is the end."

Kakashi's eyes widened before quickly drawing a kunai and dashing instantly into the middle of the formation and impaling Zabuza with it. The sound of dripping could be heard for a moment before Naruto noticed another Zabuza appear from the mist behind Kakashi and shouted out a warning as the Zabuza before him burst into water and the one behind him swung his massive sword while growling out "Too late!" and slicing Kakashi in half. Zabuza smirked for a second before the bifurcated Kakashi burst into water as well, causing Zabuza's eyes to widen in surprise before mumbling to himself in surprise, "Mizu bunshin?! How? Did he... copy it through the mist?"

In the moment he was thinking, Kakashi stepped up behind him and held a kunai to his Adam's apple. Zabuza could feel the tip uncomfortably as he swallowed hard at the situation. Kakashi repeated what Zabuza had said to them a few moments ago, "This is the end."

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Hello you wonderful people, I can't tell you how sorry I am about being so late to update. I would like to say that something came up to keep me from writing this chapter, but I can't, I can only say that a combination of being tired as hell after helping my dad move some new equipment into place at his house, sleeping, and having an old friend from high school and college show up out of the blue that kept me from putting this out sooner. I do so hope that you enjoyed this chapter. Also, as you can see, Darious made a reappearance after 3 chapters, hopefully you all liked the interaction between he and Naruto. Please, leave a review, but remember, if you do, PLEASE, don't flame. I can take creative criticism, and appreciate it because it helps me figure out how to make this a better story. Just don't ask/tell me to remove Darious... not gonna happen.


	8. Chapter 8: The Jonin Clash

The usual disclaimer; I do not own Naruto or the characters therein, Darious is another story though.

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Chapter 8: The Jonin Clash

Kakashi's eyes widened before quickly drawing a kunai and dashing instantly into the middle of the formation and impaling Zabuza with it. The sound of dripping could be heard for a moment before Naruto noticed another Zabuza appear from the mist behind Kakashi and shouted out a warning as the Zabuza before him burst into water and the one behind him swung his massive sword while growling out "Too late!" and slicing Kakashi in half. Zabuza smirked for a second before the bifurcated Kakashi burst into water as well, causing Zabuza's eyes to widen in surprise before mumbling to himself in surprise, "Mizu bunshin?! How? Did he... copy it through the mist?"

In the moment he was thinking, Kakashi stepped up behind him and held a kunai to his Adam's apple. Zabuza could feel the tip uncomfortably as he swallowed hard at the situation. Kakashi repeated what Zabuza had said to them a few moments ago, "This is the end."

XxXxXxX

Standing there with the blade to his neck for a few moments, Zabuza finally spoke up again. "I wouldn't be so sure..." then the same voice came from behind Kakashi, causing him to turn his head and look back over his shoulder to see another Zabuza, giant sword drawn back and ready to bring down on Kakashi. "about that." As the sword came down, there was the sound of 4 kunai impacting the massive blade before just barely missing the stunned Copy-nin as the water clone before him burst. Both Kakashi and Zabuza looked over to see all three genin with arms extended before reaching down for another weapon to replace the ones they had just thrown. Sakura seemed a bit unsure of things, Sasuke simply maintained his slightly agitated mask, where as Naruto stood there with a small smirk, though his eyes shown that he was all business right now as he stared eye to eye with Zabuza.

Zabuza had to quickly jump back as Kakashi spun with his kunai in hand, aiming to land a hit during his distraction. Zabuza sped forward while Kakashi recovered a little from his missed swing, and kicked him hard into the water nearby. As Kakashi surfaced, he heard Zabuza's voice speak up. "Now you're in my element, welcome to the inescapable cell, Suirō no Jutsu." Flashing through hand seals as he spoke, then reaching down quickly to touch the water near Kakashi before the water rose into a full sphere around Kakashi, trapping him inside it. Kakashi looked around before noticing another Zabuza step out of the foggy tree line between himself and his team.

"I'll take care of the brats, then I'll take you out, then that old fart bridge builder will be no trouble at all." Naruto crouched down, watching as the new Zabuza spoke to all of them, working to intimidate them. Kakashi watched on as Zabuza started a short rant aimed at his students.

Naruto stayed in place as he took in the clone before them, and the real Zabuza that held Kakashi captive in the water prison and started working on a plan of action to both take out the clone, and free Kakashi, all without getting himself, his team, or the client killed. He had been passively listening to Zabuza talk about his thoughts on what a ninja was and wasn't until the second Zabuza flashed infront of Naruto and kicked out at him. Naruto barely had time to move, only managing to get his arms in front of him enough to prevent the kick from breaking or cracking his ribs, though it did still knock him back a good ways as his hitai-ate flew from his head. As he landed between his team and the clone, said clone stomped down on Naruto's hitai-ate. "you're all just a bunch of brats playing ninja!"

"Run, take Tazuna and run, get out of here and keep him safe!" Kakashi looked almost panicked as he yelled to his students, even more so when he saw that they weren't even budging from their spots from what he assumed was fear. In Sakura's case he would be absolutely correct, she stood there trying to keep herself from trembling at the thought of the fight before them and the man now holding their sensei trapped in a giant sphere of water while standing on the water a fair way off the shore line.

Sasuke once again narrowed his eyes in near anger, thinking to himself that their sensei was telling them to run because he thought they were weak. 'I am an Uchiha, the elite, I will not run like a coward! Even if that weren't the case, this guy would still catch up to us eventually. Even if we managed to get back into formation, he got between us as if we weren't even there. In order for us to live, we have to rescue you!' Looking over to Sakura, and the still prone Naruto before letting out a grunt and starting to run at Zabuza, flinging shuriken as he went. Zabuza swung his blade out before him to easily block them, cutting off his site of Sasuke for a moment. In that moment, Sasuke leaped into the air above him. Not seeing him in front of him, Zabuza quickly looked up to see the boy descending toward him. "Too easy!" He reached up and grabbed Sasuke by the neck, holding him up off the ground before he even had a chance to so much as touch Zabuza. Sasuke was easily thrown off to the side to land unceremoniously in a heap.

Naruto, though he had been in many fights with Darious, Tsume, and even with Iruka a couple times, found himself becoming afraid. In all of those spars he had fought with them, he knew that they would not kill him. Zabuza, however, he was certain would kill him given the spare second it would take to look at him if he didn't act. His eyes then zeroed in on his hitai-ate that lay underfoot of the mist nin and thought back to the day he had gotten it.

**(flash back)**

Naruto showed up at Ichiraku's after completing Kakashi's bell test to celebrate, as he stepped in, he noticed Darious sitting at a table, looking directly at him. "Dar-nii! I passed, I'm an actual genin now!"

Darious simply smiled from his seat and motioned for him to have a seat with him. "I heard, which is why I'm here to congratulate you and pay for three of your celebration bowls, and no more. I know how much you would sucker Iruka into when he brought you here." Darious smirked as Naruto pouted a little before sitting down and ordering. "Naruto, take off your hitai-ate for me."

Naruto froze and stared at Darious for a moment before he was asked again and finally moved and removed it. Darious reached over and took it from him and laid it on the table. Naruto, naturally at this point started to get a little agitated and asked why he did that. "Naruto, calm down, I have a gift for you is why." Reaching into his jacket, Darious pulled out a slightly worn looking hitai-ate, looking at it for a few moments before holding it out to Naruto.

Taking it in his hands, Naruto looked over it. The plate was scratched with a few dents, and not as shiny as his new one was. The cloth had obviously been replaced, though it showed signs of wear as well. "No offense Dar-nii, but this looks a bit old and beat up." He looked up to see Darious smiling with a bit of a far off look before he spoke up.

"I acted the same way when it was given to me." This got Naruto's attention, he looked wide eyed at Darious before looking back down at the the hitai-ate in his hands.

"This was yours?" Now holding it with a little more care and pride.

"Yup, that was mine until I got this one." tapping the horned plate on his forehead.

"Wait, " looking up at Darious, "you said when it was given to you, you mean it was this beat up when you got it? Didn't you pick a new one like I did?"

Chuckling a little before he answered, "Yes and no, I did pick a new one once I graduated, but like you, when I became a real shinobi, I was given that one as my reward."

"Who gave it to you though?"

"My master, Jiraiya of the Sannin. That was his hitai-ate from when he was a genin all the way through the war until he got his current one from the toads of Mt. Myoboku. It's very special to me, the day I was given that is the day that Master Jiraiya accepted me as his apprentice. You see, I didn't have a team like you do, I was taken under his wing as soon as I graduated and passed his test." Darious watched as Naruto looked down at the hitai-ate with awe and a new respect for it. Naruto looked up at him.

"You... you're really giving it to me? But, this is precious to you!"

Darious smiled again at his surrogate little brother. "It is indeed, which is why I expect you to take good care of it and trust in it to protect you like it did myself and Master Jiraiya."

Naruto slowly brought it up and tied it to his forehead before looking up at Darious with a smile and a tear streaking down each cheek.

**(flash back end)**

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he looked at the man standing on one of his treasures from one of his most precious people. Standing to his feet, Naruto took off at a full run toward the water clone, shocking his team in doing so. Just as quickly as he got to the clone, he was kicked back away, landing in a heap in front of Sakura and Sasuke.

"Naruto-kun! I know you're strong, but if he handled Sasuke-kun as easily as he just did, why did you run in and do almost the exact same..." Sakura's words froze in her thought as she saw Naruto standing back up as he clutched his hitai-ate in one hand. For a moment she wondered why he went through so much just to retrieve it until she remembered something that Naruto had told her a month ago.

**(flash back)**

Naruto laid back under one of the many trees surrounding Team 7's training field with his hitai-ate on his chest and his arm over his eyes. Sakura was sitting near him watching Sasuke and Kakashi work a little more out in the field. Looking down, she finally took note of how beat up and worn in the plate on his hitai-ate was. "Um, Naruto, how did you get your plate so beat up and tattered? We only got them a month and a few days ago, and I know that we haven't done anything near rough enough to cause that."

Naruto uncovered his eyes to look up at her for a moment, then sat up and moved his back against the tree beside her. "Because this isn't the hitai-ate I picked out when we graduated."

Sakura looked over at him with a half annoyed look before she replied in a semi-sarcastic way "That much is clear already... I mean why do you have one that is so worn and beaten?"

Lifting it up before him and looking at it with a smile, Naruto finally replied "This was Dar-nii's. It originally belonged to Jiraiya of the Sannin, who gave it to Dar-nii when he passed the genin test that Jiraiya gave him before accepting him as an apprentice. Dar-nii gave it to me after we passed Kakashi-sensei's test and told me that he was proud of me. He told me that it would protect me like it did him and Jiraiya when they both wore it. This is one of my most precious possessions." Hearing that and seeing the look in his eyes, Sakura smiled at him as he smiled down at the hitai-ate.

**(flash back end)**

"He went back to get his hitai-ate? The dobe risked his life to get a stupid piece of metal and cloth that he can just replace when we get back?!" Sasuke stood beside Sakura as he looked down at Naruto.

"Sasuke! His can't just be replaced like yours, his was given to him, it has meaning to him, he has pride in it!" Sakura spoke in defense of the boy before them as he tied his hitai-ate back on and cinched it down. What she didn't notice was that she had completely left off the affectionate honorific from her academy crush's name.

"Blah blah blah, "you're not a ninja, you're just a kid." Damn you're so full of yourself, I'm sure you're gonna tell me about being such a bad ass at my age, how you killed so many people... if anything, that doesn't make you a ninja, it makes you a psycho and a murderer!" Naruto quickly formed a mass of shadow clones before all of them spoke up at once. "A ninja protects their village and their precious people!" The two dozen copies of Naruto charged at the Zabuza clone, the first half launching themselves into the air and diving in to attack, only to be dispelled. The remaining clones and Naruto threw a set of kunai each, then followed closely behind them, only for the clones to be dispelled again, and Naruto to be thrown back toward Sakura and Sasuke. As Naruto slid, he quickly pulled out a massive folded shuriken and tossed it to Sasuke, who caught it and smirked.

"I see what you want to do, I gotta say, not bad coming from you." Standing straighter and holding the shuriken out in front of him and letting the blades spin out into place. The clone laughed at the idea that just using a larger shuriken would take him out as Sasuke leaped into the air before spinning and letting the fuma shuriken fly. The clone could only chuckle again for a moment before it turned as the shuriken went flying by, aimed right at the real Zabuza that was holding Kakashi prisoner. Zabuza sneered as he easily caught the shuriken in his free hand, then his eyes widened as another shuriken became visible to him with just enough time for him to hop and let it soar under his airborne feet. The shuriken suddenly poofed into Naruto, then was quickly replaced by Kakashi. This wasn't the only thing that caught Zabuza by surprise, the same moment that Kakashi was freed, his clone was dispelled by a spinning drill like attack that stopped to reveal another Naruto. That Naruto was then revealed to be the real one when the one that had taken Kakashi's place simply smirked up at the wide eyed Zabuza, then went up in smoke.

Zabuza was now rather thoroughly agitated at the way things had turned around. Kakashi was free, the clone babysitting the ninja wannabe brats was destroyed by one of said brats after being outsmarted by another of them. If both of those hadn't pissed him off enough, Now he was staring down Kakashi with his student team on the other side of him, one of which seemed to actually hold a chance of posing a threat. Zabuza, with a growl, reared his arm back and started the fuma shuriken in his hand spinning, ready to throw it before it too burst into smoke and another Naruto clone kicked him in the face before poofing away in a cloud of smoke. Zabuza stood with the front of his wraps now stained red from the blood flowing from his nose.

Before Zabuza could fully recover, Kakashi rushed him, sharingan spinning, and started pushing him back toward the shore where Naruto quickly created more clones. The moment Zabuza's feet touched sand, the clones launched themselves at Zabuza's back, one taking hold of each of his hands, one on each leg with its arms around his knee and legs around his feet, another two placed one hand against his shoulders and the other pulling back against his elbows to try and leash his strength. Kakashi took this moment to make sure the real Naruto was not helping hold Zabuza before starting to gather his chakra and start in on a long series of hand seals. While Naruto got Sasuke, Sakura, and Tazuna out of the line of the jutsu before Kakashi finished his signs and called out "Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu", a massive dragon made of water formed behind him before lunging at Zabuza and the clones restraining him. As much as he wanted to Zabuza couldn't move out of the way in time to avoid getting hit by the jutsu. As the dragon impacted Zabuza, the clones all dispelled from the force of the attack. Being tossed about violently inside the jutsu, he wasn't able to right free himself, or even right himself before being slammed hard, back first into a tree and held there for a moment before the water receded. As the water let off the pressure holding him in place, 4 kunai flew in, lodging into both of his arms and both thighs.

Crouched on a branch above the now effectively immobile Zabuza, Kakashi spoke up watching as the water slowly returned to where it came from. "This is the end. It's time for you to die now." As if on cue, a pair of senbon came from the side, imbedding themselves in the now wide eyed Zabuza's neck, stunning everyone present. As Zaubza's now lifeless body fell to the ground, all eyes turned to a masked figure standing high on a branch to the side of the fight.

The newcomer spoke up in a rather effeminate voice. "It seems you were right, it was time for him to die."

Leaping down to Zabuza, Kakashi knelt beside him and felt for a pulse, not feeling any, he mumbled to himself. "He really _is_ dead." He looked over to the newcomer, still on the branch and watched as they bowed before speaking again.

"I really must thank you, I've been looking for an opening to kill him for a while now."

"From the looks of your mask, you're a hunter nin from Kiri, correct?"

"You are rather well informed, and yes, I am a hunter nin."

Still kneeling beside Zabuza's body, Kakashi looked over the hunter nin before them. 'From his height, build, and voice, he can't be much older than Naruto and the others... yet... he's a hunter nin. That's no ordinary kid."

Naruto was rather perturbed about the situation at hand, they had just done battle with this man that now lay dead beside his kneeling sensei, yet this kid, probably his age had just ended it with the simple flick of the wrist. Naruto moved to stand between Kakashi and the hunter nin and went to ask for the nins name before stopping, remembering that the reason nins wear those masks is to **hide** their identities.

The hunter nin shunshined in a swirl of wind and leaves to reappear beside Zabuza, hefting his body onto his shoulders. "This marks the end of your battle here. I need to go and dispose of this body, it is filled with secrets. I'll be on my way now, if you'll excuse me." He quickly disappeared in another shunshin with Zabuza's corpse slung over his shoulder.

Kakashi reached up and pulled down his hitai-ate to cover his sharingan left eye as he watched Naruto stare off in the distance as he asked quietly. "What good were we here? We didn't actually do a damn thing more than slow Zabuza down, and then that hunter nin shows up and takes out the man that gave you a run for your money... and he's **my age!**"

Sakura silently worried about Naruto as Kakashi walked up behind him and placed a calming hand on his shoulder. "Sometimes, that's just how things go when you're a ninja, you don't always get the glory, or the one to end the fight, sometimes, you just help another to do that, or stall long enough to get away. Also, don't let age be your judging point, there are people out there younger than you, that are stronger than me." At this, Sasuke's eyes widened for a moment before narrowing again as if told that he were still too weak. "If you don't like it, then make it up next time." Turning to the others while Naruto took slow breaths to calm and refocus. "We're still not done here, the fighting may be over, but we still have to get Tazuna to his home." the teens seemed to groan and slump at that comment until Tazuna spoke up in a rather bright and uplifting way.

"Sorry about that everyone, rest up all you need at my house." the entire time holding onto his hat and speaking as if it were as simple as he came across some friends in the street and invited them to come to his house.

Kakashi turned and started to head past Naruto "Okay everyone, let's cheer up and head out." He didn't take more than another step before falling flat on his face like a sack of potatoes. Everyone ran up to his side calling his name, checking if he was okay.

XxXxXxX

There it is, chapter 8. I know it's a little short, but if I went on any farther I would have stopped it with them getting to the house, having to do the introductions, blah blah blah... so yeah, I hope you like, or at least do not hate the changes I made in the fight and interactions. I really want to thank Oni Spiritus, Dragon and Sword Master, and MercenaryGrax for helping to motivate me to get my butt in gear to get this chapter out for you all.

Now, I know I'm not putting out chapters at the pace I said that I would strive to maintain, but I've been busy looking for a job, talking with the ex-gf, talking with a friend in jail, trying to help people in general, busy busy busy. Oh, also, I'm also going to be the photographer at my dad's wedding this weekend, then get my top wisdoms pulled next Friday... I'll do what I can to get out chapter 9 by the 2nd. If I don't, then I'll try to get it to you after the 5th.

Please leave a review, let me know what you think, how you think I'm doing, but like last time, don't even worry about typing out "remove Darious"... ain't gonna happen.


	9. Chapter 9: Family

Hello everyone, sorry it's been a while. I mentioned that I would try to get a chapter out before the 4th but didn't, the reason I didn't post ON the 4th is because I work as a pyrotechnician with my father on the 4th. We had a great show this year, got my cousin to come work with us too.

The usual disclaimer; I do not own Naruto or the characters therein, Darious is another story though.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Chapter 9: Family

"We're still not done here, the fighting may be over, but we still have to get Tazuna to his home." the teens seemed to groan and slump at that comment until Tazuna spoke up in a rather bright and uplifting way.

"Sorry about that everyone, rest up all you need at my house." the entire time holding onto his hat and speaking as if it were as simple as he came across some friends in the street and invited them to come to his house.

Kakashi turned and started to head past Naruto "Okay everyone, let's cheer up and head out." He didn't take more than another step before falling flat on his face like a sack of potatoes. Everyone ran up to his side calling his name, checking if he was okay.

XxXxXxX

Hiruzen sat at his desk, looking over today's mountain of paperwork that stood piled on and beside his desk. "I swear this stuff breeds..."

"It could just be an insidious jutsu created by an enemy village to keep you occupied by a never ending flow of paperwork." Hiruzen smirked and shook his head before sitting back in his chair and looking back at the window to see one of his students sitting on the window sill wearing a smirk of his own. "Hello Sensei, not working too hard I hope." Hopping down and moving to have a seat in one of the chairs in front of Hiruzen's desk.

"It's good to see you Jiraiya, is your student with you?"

"He should be here, we came through the gate together." A knock sounded at the door before being opened to reveal said student.

"It seems that at least one of you knows how to use a door." Hiruzen let out a chuckle as Darious made his way to the chair beside Jiraiya. "Welcome Darious, it's good to see you again in good health."

Darious bowed before dropping the formalities and smiling back at the aged Hokage. "It's good to see you too. Looks like you still have plenty of paperwork to keep you busy for the foreseeable future. I'm surprised you haven't thought to use kage bunshin to help you with that." Hearing this, Hiruzen's eyes went wide, then forehead met desk as he started to grumble before quickly making a couple clones to take care of the papers before moving over to the couch at the side of his office and taking a seat with a pleased smile as he lit his pipe.

"So, what brings my spy master and his student back home?"

Both men turned their chairs away from the now working clones to look at him, Jiraiya speaking up for them. "A few reasons, mostly revolving around my godson. We have some good news, and some bad. I know you want the bad first, so we'll start with that." earning a nod from Hiruzen, Jiraiya proceeded. "Akatsuki now has both of Iwa's jinchuriki. We don't know where the six or seven tails jinchuriki are. Other than Naruto, I know that Kumo's jinchuriki are still okay, so is the Ichibi. I'm not sure, but rumor has it that the Sanbi is sealed inside Yagura. The ones still in villages should be okay for the time being, but the six and seven tails... for all I know, they've already been taken."

Hiruzen sat there puffing at his pipe as he listened to Jiraiya. "How long before you think they will make their move on Naruto?"

Jiraiya took a thoughtful breath before answering. "I'm not sure really. I get the feeling that the ones they got already were only because, from what I would guess and from hear say, is that they were outcasts and living away from the protection of a village. So for the fact that Naruto is under our protection, they may well try to save him for last, combined with the fact that he contains the Kyuubi."

Nodding "I'm inclined to agree, so what's the second reason?" Jiraiya turned to Darious this time.

"Sir, I think I've found another Uzumaki."

Hiruzen's eyes lit up at hearing this. "That is wonderful news, have you confirmed their lineage?"

"Not yet, she's currently in Rice country. Her chakra signature reminds me of Kushina's though. We would need to perform a blood test on her to confirm, but I'm almost certain of it."

Hiruzen puffed on his pipe a little while longer before looking Darious in the eyes. "I want you to go back, find her again, and extend an invitation. If need be, let her know about Naruto indirectly, she may be come willingly knowing there's a living Uzumaki here." Now, looking at them both. "As for Naruto, he's actually out on his first C-ranked mission right now with his team. They should be gone for another couple weeks if the construction crews are on or ahead of schedule."

"It's good to see that the gaki's moving up in things."

"Indeed, he really is developing quite splendidly as a young man and shinobi. Minato and Kushina would be so very proud of him. Now, I would like if Darious here could head back and check on the Uzumaki woman and see if we can get her here. I think it would be a wonderful surprise for the boy if he returned home to find he has a blood relative waiting for him. When can you leave Darious?"

"If you don't need anything else of me?" looking to both Jiraiya and Hiruzen, who both waved him off, "Now" he left in a simple shunshin.

"Is it really such a good idea to send him back into Rice country?" Jiraiya looked back over to Hiruzen.

"You trained him didn't you? Do you not trust your own teaching skills now, after having already trained a kage?"

"I guess you're right. Now, unless you need me around, I think I'm going to go and do a little research." Giggling a little as Hiruzen waved him off, Jiraiya left the office through the window. Hiruzen looked around for a moment before grinning and reaching into his robes of office and pulling out a familiar orange book and opening it with a little giggle of his own.

"Now Hitomi, what are you doing in that hot spring?"

**(Konoha main gate)**

Around an hour later Darious was making his way out the front gates when Jiraiya stepped out beside him. "I've been waiting here for a half hour, I thought you would have been here sooner."

Darious shook his head. "Master, I wanted to double check everything, I am going to be heading into unknown territory, without permission or intel. Why were you waiting for me in the first place? I would have thought you to be out "researching" with the time this would give you."

"Yes, normally I would, but I have something for you to take with you." reaching into a pouch and pulling out a small scroll before handing it to Darious. "That caries an Uzumaki blood seal. It's nothing important, but it will tell you if that girl is as her chakra tells your senses."

Pocketing the scroll, Darious bowed. "Thank you Master, Hopefully I'll be able to get to her and if she is an Uzumaki, bring her back."

"I'm glad to hear that, now, let's get going."

"You mean us? Are you coming with me to get her?"

Jiraiya chuckled a little as he started walking, guiding Darious along beside him with his hand on his shoulder. "No, we're going the same way, same general area, different mission." Darious nodded before leaping up into the branches beside his master.

**(Hi ~ Ta border)**

Master and apprentice made good time to the border, finding an inn in a small village about an hour away from the border to Ta no kuni around sun down. They found themselves sitting in the dining area of the inn, Jiraiya sipping happily at a saucer of sake, working his way through the bottle sat before him as Darious slowly nursed a drink from the far west that he had come to enjoy during their travels called whiskey. As Darious sat there sipping at his drink, he watched his master sitting with a trio of women hanging all over him and beside him. He know that it was one of his master's ways of gathering intelligence. He would come in, after taking some alcohol inhibiting medication that his former team mate had created in her time as a medic nin in the second war, sit down and go through a couple bottles of sake and act drunk while giggling and acting the part of the pervert with local "working girls". Though he never liked the idea of doing so himself, he had to admit that his master's ways were rather well thought out and worked amazingly well. The reason it did was because most men would come in and do what he was doing, but in reverse, instead of gathering information, they would actually get drunk and spill any information they had just as much as they would their drinks after a while. Nearly half an hour later, Jiraiya had "drunkenly" bid his student good night and led the giggling gaggle of women with him to his room for a night that would never happen, but the women would never forget.

Darious shook his head as he watched his master lead the women off to be placed under a pleasurable genjutsu that would make them think he had given all 3 women the best night that any of them had ever had alone or together. He set his glass down when he felt someone come up behind him then sit down where Jiraiya had been sitting moments ago, then slid the glass over to the man. "Thanks for waiting for Master to leave with the women before showing up, Hatori, it would have run them off had you come when they were here."

"Thanks for remembering my taste in foreign drink" The man lifted the glass and took a drink before setting it down. "And it's not the cheap stuff either, you must really want to know where this girl is, she pick your pocket, steal a scroll... your master's illegitimate child?" The man smirked before he saw Darious maintaining a straight face. "Sorry, here." Reaching into his pocket, the man pulled out a small envelope and slid it over to Darious. Sipping at the amber liquid as he watched his "employer's" apprentice read over the information, then reach down and set the rest of the bottle of whiskey on the table beside the glass.

"Good job, I don't even want to know how you got a hold of this info... all I care is that it's reliable." pulling the bottle back to himself as Hatori went to reach for it, eying the man as he looked back at him.

"It's reliable, I wouldn't lie to you or your master, I know what you two are capable of!" he then looked down at the bottle and motioned with his hand as if beckoning the bottle to come to him of its own volition, tho which Darious slowly slid it back to the man. Hatori quickly took the bottle, leaving the empty glass and left the inn, leaving Darious to sit and look over the documents before him a few times over to absorb the information as best he could.

Around two and a half hours later, the three women that Jiraiya had taken up with him came back down giggling up a storm and stumbling a little at their perceived exhaustion, letting Darious know that he was clear to come up so that they could maintain Jiraiya's cover as a womanizing old man. Reaching the room, Darious found his master sitting at a small table writing, as he so usually did. "Find some new inspiration for the next installment of Icha Icha?"

Looking up at his student, Jiraiya grinned and shook his head a little. "You know as well as I do that I get exceedingly bored while the women sleep through their imagined romp. What did Hatori have for us?" Spotting the envelope. Sitting down opposite his master, Darious handed him the envelope containing the information.

"It looks like we're going to be spending more time together Master, at least until I go for my objective. It seems the girl is at some sort of base that is the southern most of some kind of military installations for Otogakure no sato, and is also a member of a personal guard for the Otokage. Speaking of, there's nothing in there at all that gives any information about the person, there's no word if we're even talking about a man or a woman." Jiraiya quietly sat there reading through the information as he listened to Darious' appraisal of the information and the situation.

"Think you can get to her to even test her, let alone get her out? We can wait to take care of your objective until I'm done with mine and I can join you." Darious thought it over for a moment before shaking his head.

"I appreciate your concern and offer Master, but I should be able to take care of this alone. You have taught me well after all. There is one thing I would still like to learn from you, but I understand your reasons for not teaching me." Jiraiya looked up from the papers again.

"I'm glad that you understand, I will ask permission though once I get the chance, even though I know it will be a yes, I still want to ask first. So, do you have a time frame you think you can pull this off in?"

"I say a day to get to the base, a day or two to infiltrate and locate her, then a day and a half for extraction. So, safely five days."

Nodding his head, Jiraiya looked back down at the papers. "That gives me plenty of time, I should be here waiting for you already by the time you get her, alone, or with company. Get some sleep, tomorrow we head out early." putting away the envelope and his manuscripts, the men set up the room and got some sleep.

**(near southern Oto base)**

A day an a half later, Darious found himself crouched one a branch, high up in a tree, his chakra suppressed to levels close to that of a squirrel. His perch was above what looked like a scared, nearly destroyed training field. If the info that Hatori had given him was correct, this was the training field that the possible Uzumaki girl used on a near daily basis. He had been sitting there since sunrise and had started to wonder if he would need to change his time table since he possibly missed her today, that is until he heard movement coming from the path under him.

He would have been more concerned about being spotted had he not been using his master's most prized and used jutsu, the Toton Jutsu. Though a part of him believed that the jutsu was created so that his master could peep on women, the more loyal part of him believed that it was created by the true spy master that his master was. Which ever was true, Darious used it for its stated purpose, and used it well. He watched as the young woman headed to the center of the field and started to stretch and warm up.

After a good hour or so, Darious figured that she was tired enough that if she did want to fight, there wouldn't be much of one. He let his chakra flare twice to catch her attention before stepping out of the tree line and dropping his shimmering camouflaging jutsu. The young woman dropped into a defensive stance, clearly tired and a bit sore. "Stop right fucking there shithead! Who the fuck are you?! What the fuck are you doing here, I fucking know you don't belong here!"

Raising his hands, he slowly stepped closer until he was close enough to be heard without raising his voice. "Who I am isn't important right now, but I'm not here to fight, not even to argue, I'm here to offer you something. Something you have been without for a long time. The only thing I need to do is check to make sure that you are who I think you are, are you agreeable to this?"

She looked on suspiciously at the stranger, not able to tell where he's from, only seeing the kanji on the hitai-ate on his head. She knew that she should attack and take him prisoner, but something about what he said struck her. "Something I've been without for a long time... the fuck are you talking about, and why the fuck do you need to test my fucking blood you crazy shithead, and how the fuck do you expect to do that? We're not in or even close to a fucking lab."

Shaking his head a little at her language, he slowly reached into a pocket and pulled out a scroll. "This is how, as to the why, we'll worry about that if the test comes back as positive, deal?"

"What do I have to do shit stain?"

"This is a blood seal, a clan blood seal. If you are who/what I think you are, then it will open and I'll explain further, if not, I'll leave and you'll never be bothered by me again." He slowly stepped closer, holding the scroll out before him as he got within reach of the young woman. "just smear a little of your blood across it."

The young woman hesitantly stepped forward and bit her thumb before slowly reaching out to swipe her bloody thumb across the seal on the scroll, then stepped back and waited with a little trepidation. The seal started to sizzle as it took in the DNA from her blood, then a soft pop sounded as the sealed scroll came open. Darious smiled at the young woman before him. "Well, looks like I was right, I'm happy to tell you that you are from a clan, and you are not alone anymore. You have a cousin, and if you would like, I can take you back with me and be with family again."

As she took in this information, her hard, vulgar attitude faded into one of near disbelief mixed with overwhelming joy and hope as her eyes started to water. She stood there for a few more moments before tears started to fall freely. The logical part of her mind wanted to argue with the man before her, to question the validity of his statements, to claim it was a trick to take her away from here. The lonely little girl in her that missed her parents told her that this was probably her last chance to see anyone in her family again. She had spent years searching for anyone that might recognize her, know who she was or where she belonged, but not being able to remember her own last name made that search very hard, nearly impossible. Little did she know how impossible it really was for her to find anyone. "I... I have family? I have a relative? Why didn't they come for me?! Why didn't they bring me home?!" Her tears started to flow as she started to hiccup from the strain and emotional break that was overcoming her now.

Darious stepped forward and softly placed a hand on her shoulder for comfort, then was surprised when she latched onto him in a tight hug and cried into his chest. "He didn't come to find you because he's your age... and he's an orphan as well. He doesn't even know that he has any family outside of his parents. Other than him, he thought his mother was the last of your clan. If you come back with me, you and he can restart your clan."

As he said this, the girl pulled back and looked up at him with a scowl. "He's my cousin you sick fuck... that's just gross!"

Darious chuckled a little at that. "That's not what I meant, he already has someone he loves back home, what I meant was that we can petition to reinstate your clan and you two can work to build the clan with your own families."

She stood there for a second before a small blush covered her cheeks. "Oh..." She stepped back and recomposed herself, then punched him hard in the shoulder with a scowl. "If you tell ANYONE that I did any of that... I'll castrate you myself!"

Chuckling a little nervously at the threat. "No worries, not a word. Now, here's the important question." Looking her in the eyes, letting her know how serious he really was at the moment. "Are you willing to leave Oto, leave your Kage to come find and be with family? You don't have to answer now, though it would be very helpful, I can come back tomorrow so you have a..." He wasn't even given a chance to finish his question before she answered.

"I'm leaving this shit hole, I don't care where you're from, it has to be better than the shit I go through here!"

"Do you need to pack anything?" to answer him she shook her head and pulled out a small sealing scroll.

"Everything precious to me is packed away in here, let's get the fuck out of here before my dumb fuck team, or some security shows up!" She started to walk away from the middle of the field, leaving a smirking Darious to shake his head while holding the scroll in his hand. "HEY SHIT HEAD, LET'S GO!"

**(Inn on Hi side of the border)**

Another day and a half later, back at the inn they had stayed at on the way in, Jiraiya sat alone at a table, sipping away at his sake, waiting for his apprentice, and hopefully the young Uzumaki woman. He looked up when he heard the door open and saw his student walk in, almost disappointed for a moment until a young girl stepped out from behind him and looked around the place. He was about to offer a greeting to them both once they reached the table until the girl spoke up. "What a shit hole, couldn't you have sprung for some place fancier if you were bringing me along, who's this old bastard?"

"Quite the mouth I see... almost like Kushina... but with profanity. I, am The great toad sage of Mt. Myoboku, all women want me, men wish they were me, I..."

"This is my master, Jiraiya of the Sannin." Jiraiya deflated at the interruption of his introduction. The girls eyes widened a little at the name, knowing who he was already, but not by sight.

"You always have to interrupt me when I do that, don't you?"

"Only when it's not a woman that's old enough for you, or an enemy that is too stunned to act." Grinning as he watched his master pout a little, then seem mildly offended. "We should go ahead and get a meal, then get some sleep. I'll set her up a room for herself, she doesn't need, or likely want to sleep in the same room as you or myself."

"Damn right, now let's get some chow, I want to meet my long lost relative!"

**(Konoha)**

Two days later, team 7 entered the village, and were greeted by Izumo and Kotetsu, who both smiled, then waved them by after Kakashi signed them all in. "Hey Naruto, you should go with Kakashi to see the Hokage, he wanted to see you as soon as you got back." Naruto nodded and waved Sasuke off before getting a tight, lingering hug from Sakura and a kiss on the cheek before she blushed and ran off as well. Naruto stood there with a light blush of his own, watching Sakura run off before Kakashi caught his attention and started heading to the Hokage's office with him.

Naruto followed Kakashi into the Hokage's office to find not only the elderly Hokage, but also Darious and his master Jiraiya of the Sannin. Having had the knowledge of manner pounded repeatedly into his head by Tsume. She may have made sure to let him know that he didn't have to use them all the time, but she made damn sure that he knew when he should, and right now was definitely one of those moments, "Hello Hokage-sama, Jiraiya-sama, Dar-nii" mostly one of those moments. All three men stood there smiling at the young blond as he stood before them.

"Hello Naruto, I trust you did well on your mission?" Hiruzen smiled at them both as Kakashi gave a firm nod in testament to Naruto's performance during the mission. "Now, I know that you're probably wondering why I wanted to see you after the mission, and you're probably also wondering why Darious and Jiraiya are both here as well." This earned a nod from Naruto. Seeing this Jiraiya spoke up.

"Now, you know your true heritage, and that Sarutobi-sensei asked you to keep it between you, Tsume, and everyone currently in this room. There is something that you did not know, and we wanted you here to learn about it. Darious went over the history of Uzushiogakure with you and how it was destroyed, we've come to find out that there were survivors." Naruto's eyes widened as he heard that. "The few survivors spread out around the elemental nations. Naruto... we found one." Naruto's jaw hung open as he took in the information. While he was stuck in his own disbelief, a young woman with long red hair, partly hidden below a cloth watch cap, wearing a coral tunic bound by a thick purple rope and a pair of black spandex style shorts stepped out from behind Jiraiya, her red hair clear as day to her cousin, a look of hope and disbelief of her own adorning her face as she took in Naruto.

"Naruto Uzumaki, may I introduce you to your cousin, Tayuya, Tayuya Uzumaki."

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Jutsu list:

Toton Jutsu: Transparent Escape Technique: near invisibility, created by Jiraiya.

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And there it is, Chapter 9. Now, I know that a lot, if not most, or even all of you were expecting the wave mission... sorry, I felt that it had been done WAY too many times, and in every way that can be thought of, so I decided to bring Darious in a little bit and do something different. I know that there is a chance that some of you will leave because of this chapter, but it's my story, my telling of the tale. I know that SOME people will like it, and the way I took it, and this is not just for myself, but for those that DO like what I'm doing.

Now, as for my delay, I would site the fact that I was busy and had no comp for the week of the 4th, the fact that I slept most of the time till Monday... but the major thing is... I got bad writers block till just about a day ago, then my muse showed up, a little tipsy, kicked me in the head, and said "get to work you bastard!"

I really hope you all enjoy this chapter, please read, review, and tell me what you like. It really helps to know what parts of the story you like and don't.

As always... don't even bother saying that you don't like Dar and want him gone, he's here to stay.


	10. Chapter 10: Of Dreams and Diplomacy

Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends... well... it will eventually, but sorry, internet cookie to whoever can tell me song and artist. You all will be subject to my first lemon in this chapter. It is not a full lemon chapter, I will put a warning up front, and at the end, so if you don't want to read it, skip to the end, also, this takes place during team 7's return and entrance into the village.

NOW onto the disclaimer and the chapter~

I do not own Naruto, Kishimoto does, but what he does not own is Darious, he's mine.

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Chapter 10: Of Dreams and Diplomacy

"Hello Naruto, I trust you did well on your mission?" Hiruzen smiled at them both as Kakashi gave a firm nod in testament to Naruto's performance during the mission. "Now, I know that you're probably wondering why I wanted to see you after the mission, and you're probably also wondering why Darious and Jiraiya are both here as well." This earned a nod from Naruto. Seeing this Jiraiya spoke up.

"Now, you know your true heritage, and that Sarutobi-sensei asked you to keep it between you, Tsume, and everyone currently in this room. There is something that you did not know, and we wanted you here to learn about it. Darious went over the history of Uzushiogakure with you and how it was destroyed, we've come to find out that there were survivors." Naruto's eyes widened as he heard that. "The few survivors spread out around the elemental nations. Naruto... we found one." Naruto's jaw hung open as he took in the information. While he was stuck in his own disbelief, a young woman with long red hair, partly hidden below a cloth watch cap, wearing a coral tunic bound by a thick purple rope and a pair of black spandex style shorts stepped out from behind Jiraiya, her red hair clear as day to her cousin, a look of hope and disbelief of her own adorning her face as she took in Naruto.

"Naruto Uzumaki, may I introduce you to your cousin, Tayuya, Tayuya Uzumaki."

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**(Warning ~ LEMON ~ Warning)**

Hana let out a gasp as her bare back was pressed up against the cold wall with her hands pinned above her head. Her gasp turned into a soft moan as pair of lips crashed into hers in a searing kiss. The lips belonged to the young man she had come to love over the years, her pseudo-brother Naruto. Naruto's tongue licked softly at her lips before being granted admission and instantly entering into a duel for dominance that lasted for only a minute before they broke for breath.

They stared into each others eyes for a moment before he leaned in and started to plant kisses on her neck. She leaned her head to the side and whimpered out his name as he started to work his way down her bare skin. "N-Naruto-kun!" He let go of her hands as he proceeded to work his way down her body at a slow, torturous pace, stopping at her sensitive nipples to pay them close attention before working his way lower. He kissed his way down further before lifting one of her legs to his shoulder and started kissing at her inner thigh. Her breathing was getting ragged as he finally kissed, then started to lick at her core, eliciting a shuddering gasp, then a moan as he continued on with his intimate ministrations.

After what seemed an eternity of pleasure, she shuddered again before softly pushing Naruto back away from her, at which point she noticed their shared nudity, and Naruto's erect manhood. "Naruto... Naruto-kun I need more. I need you... now." Naruto silently smiled and took her hand, leading her to the bed and laying her back on it before positioning himself over her. He smiled down at her before reaching down and guiding his shaft into her quivering folds to be rewarded with an unrestrained moan of pleasure. She reached up and pulled his face down to hers and placed a searing kiss on his lips as he thrust into her at an increasing pace, every thrust fueling a small, building fire in her core. She recognized this feeling from the night she had discovered self pleasure.

She continued moaning into his lips as she took him within herself. As the intensity of his thrusting rose, so did Hana's voice, her moans and squeals of pleasure filling the room along with the sound of skin slapping. The fire in her core built till she felt she would explode. She wrapped her legs around Naruto's waist and her arms around his neck as her body tensed and she felt her release, then a moment later, felt Naruto's release join her, filling her as well.

**(Lemon end)**

She lay there panting with Naruto in her arms, staring up into his eyes as they bore into hers. "I love you Naruto-kun." He smiled back down at her, and her heart leaped for joy with the first four words, but the last two shocked her to no end.

"I love you too... Sakura-chan." Her eyes went wide in shock before turning her head and seeing her reflection in the mirror on the wall, but what she saw wasn't herself and Naruto, instead she saw that she was now Sakura.

A moment later, Hana shot bolt upright in her bed covered in a cold sweat and panting heavily as her hand shot to her chest. She sat there for a few long moments trying to bring her breathing under control before moving her legs to get out of bed. As her legs moved, she noticed that her panties were more than just a little damp from what started out as an amazing fantasy come true. Shaking the thoughts from her head, she quickly got up and padded her way across the hall to the bathroom. She closed and locked the door before moving to the sink to look at herself in the mirror. Her hair was hers, her eyes were hers, and she still had her clan tattoos on her cheeks, everything was as it should be. She splashed water on her face before looking again in the mirror. "Good... still myself." Breathing out a sigh before stripping her clothes before stepping into the shower and running it fully cold as she cleaned herself of sweat, and other dampness from the night.

**(on the streets of Konoha)**

Now fully dressed and fed, Hana followed her habit for the couple weeks as she made her way to the main gates, almost on auto pilot, not really paying attention to anything or anyone around her as she ran through her dream again, and again. Thinking back to the start of the dream, she felt that little fire ignite again... until she heard Naruto speak HER name again. 'It was only a dream, it was only a dream. It's just my insecurities getting the better of me. He wouldn't have got that far with her already... but he might have started dating him though. Oh Kami, what if he's already moved on because of my stupidity?!' Hana was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she had failed to notice one of her closer friends fall into step beside her until she spoke up.

"Hey, Hana, a Yamanaka take you over or something?" Hana hopped and stopped in her sudden shock.

"Tenten! Don't do that!" her hand gripping her chest as if to stop her now pounding heart from flying out of her chest.

Tenten giggled softly before apologizing, "Sorry Hana, didn't mean to startle you, you just seemed so out of it this morning. What's wrong? Wanna talk about it?" They both started walking again as the question was posed.

"Yeah... may as well, I can't tell Mom about this... too awkward... though she'd probably be able to give me a better answer... no offense."

"None taken, she's older, so probably has better experience with what ever your problem may be." Tenten lead Hana to a small, private booth in the back of their favorite tea shops since Hana had told her about how they had been overheard last time when they sat out on the deck and what it had lead to after her talk with Tsume. "Now, spill, what's wrong?" Tenten felt so awkward saying that, having never been a girly girl, but Hana was her friend and needed it.

Hana let out a sigh of frustration before wiping her hand down her face to collect her thoughts. "I... had a dream last night."

"Okay, that's nothing odd, you tell me about half your dreams. What, did Kiba become Alpha in this one? That what's got your panties in a twist this morning?"

"They're not twisted... they're... well." Hana blushed as she looked sheepishly up at Tenten, her head tilted forward as she looked up, almost in shame.

"OHH... you had one of 'those' dreams, didn't you?" Tenten started to smirk. "Those are perfectly normal Hana, Mom sat down and talked to me about it a while back when I had one of those about Neji." Tenten started to blush now as she talked about it, softly rubbing her thighs together under the table as she recalled the dream.

"That wasn't the problem Ten... it's how it ended." Tenten snapped out of her little trance and looked over at her friend.

"Oh, did he treat you badly? Did he end up hurting you in the dream?" her face covered in concern for her Hana.

"No... and yes...he..." Tenten saw Hana's eyes starting to get a little red as tears threatened to fall. "He... said he loved his pink haired team mate Sakura... then I looked in the mirror... and I was her... I was in her place. He had made such tender, passionate love... to her." This time tears did start to fall as Tenten moved to the chair beside Hana and hugged her.

"It was just a dream Hana, I know that that blonde girl messed things up when she heard us talking about Neji, but I'm sure he still loves you as much as you've always loved him. You'll see." Hana's tears slowly ceased before smiling weakly at Tenten before their tea was quietly placed on their table with a small piece of cake by an understanding waitress with a note that said the cake was on her. The girls smiled appreciatively before they started enjoying their tea and free cake.

**(Konoha main gate)**

Hana had spent a good hour or so with Tenten, talking about the dream, and a little about Tenten's and her luck in getting Neji to notice her. She was nearing the gate when she caught sight of Team 7 standing at the gate signing in. A smile graced her face as she got ready to go talk to Naruto... until she saw Kakashi dismiss the team, and Sakura give Naruto a hug, then stopped in her tracks when she saw said rosette give his cheek a soft kiss. She stood there watching Naruto blush, then head off as her worst nightmare started to rampage through her thoughts. 'I'm too late... they're together. She really does like him and he didn't even stop her. Mom was right, I was too late.'

Her thoughts and emotions went from near despair to near hatred as she saw Sakura giggling a little as she stood by a corner and watched Naruto leave. The rosette was brought out of her near giddy thoughts when she heard a throat clearing behind her. She spun around and jumped back when she saw Hana standing behind her with her face mere inches from hers. Sakura wondered if she was going to get the protective big sister speech/threat from Hana since she probably saw the kiss she gave Naruto and wants to protect him.

"Oh... hi Hana-san, I didn't notice you there. What can I do for you?" She sounded almost intimidated by the slightly older girl standing before her, this suited Hana quite happily.

"What are your intentions with Naruto-kun?" Hana's voice was firm, like the future alpha that she had been groomed to become, enjoying the way that the girl before her had started to squirm at her tone and the question.

"Well... I... I think I like him."

"You think? What happened to your precious "Sasuke-_kun_"? You give up on him, or are you just making sure that you have options open in case he brushes you off like the rest of his fan club?"

Hearing this started to anger the young genin. She narrowed her eyes and looked right into Hana's eyes, "You mean just like that Neji Hyuga that you've been fawning over?!"

A low, angry growl emitted from the back of Hana's throat, making Sakura take a step back from her. "I never liked that arrogant prick, and you can thank your big mouthed blonde friend for eavesdropping on a private conversation and spreading rumors about things she has NO idea about! I was talking to my friend about HER crush, not mine! Tenten is the one that has a thing for her teammate Neji, and I was trying to help her build her confidence to ask his stuck up ass out!" This entire time, Sakura was starting to cower away as Hana's verbal intensity built as she went on. She was slowly back into a wall, where Hana leaned in over her before she delivered the bomb shell of her line of dialogue. "For your information, the boy that I like... no, the boy that I LOVE is Naruto-kun! Your idiot friend nearly ruined things for me when she went off and said those things she had no right to repeat, and drove him into your arms!"

Sakura stood there shocked for a good minute as things filed themselves away in her head until she finally put her own thoughts together, regaining what spine she had left after the verbal lashing she had just received from the girl before her and standing up. "You're telling me, that you love your brother? You're also telling me that you never told the boy you love, who lives in the same house as you, that you love him, and NOT the Hyuga as he thought you did? He was in tears after Ino told us what was said, he was so depressed for WEEKS, and you didn't say a thing to counter what he thought?!"

"I saw him in your arms as you held him!" Taking a breath to calm down a little, then continued in a lower, softer voice, "I was going to confess to him that morning at breakfast, but I slept in since I hadn't been sleeping well, so when I got to the kitchen to talk to him, he was already gone. I went to your training field to try and talk when your sensei gave you a break, but when I saw you holding him... I couldn't take seeing it and ran home." Her eyes took on a hard glint as her determination took hold again, "But no more running! I'm going to tell Naruto-kun the truth, I'm going to confess, and hope he still loves me as much as I've always loved him!"

Sakura was torn, her inner romantic was squealing at the show, but her inner self was trying to beat the romantic part of her mind into oblivion as she screamed, '**_He's ours now, that bitch had her go and failed! CHA!_**' 'But this whole thing WAS started by Ino-pig's big mouth and her need to be the gossip queen. We should at least let her confess and leave it up to Naruto-kun. We do want Naruto-kun to be happy after all, right?' Inner let out a frustrated, but defeated sigh. '**_yes..._**' "Hana-san?"

"What?"

"Might I suggest something?" Sakura seemed a bit unsure of herself as she asked his.

"Let's hear it."

"Well, we both want Naruto-kun to be happy, right?" This earned a nod from Hana, which encouraged Sakura to continue, "well, what I'm suggesting is that you go ahead and confess to him, and let him decide what he wants to do. As much as I want to find out what it would be like with him now that I've seen what kind of a caring, happy, smart and loving guy he is, I want him to be happy more."

Hana stood there, thinking that she should just find somewhere for the Triplets to bury what was left of the rosette after she was done with her, but she had to admit, she did feel the same way. "Okay, but ONLY because I want Naruto-kun to be happy!" Sakura reached out her hand tentatively before Hana took it and shook, then turned and left for home, having lost track of Naruto, and not having heard that he was heading for the Hokage's office. 'Please Kami, let him still love me.'

**(Hokage's Office)**

"Naruto Uzumaki, may I introduce you to your cousin, Tayuya, Tayuya Uzumaki."

Naruto stood there for a moment before softly asking. "My... cousin?"

"That's right Naruto, she's your cousin, but that doesn't mean that one of her parents was your mother's brother or sister. She's at best a third cousin, but she is still family by blood." Darious spoke as he moved to kneel beside Naruto. "I know it's a bit to take in at once, but she is your family, one of the last remaining of your blood. Your father was an orphan and to the best of any of our knowledge, no one knows your father's parents."

Naruto collected his thoughts before looking from Tayuya, who seemed shy at the moment, which would set him up for a BIG surprise a little later. "What about Mom? Did she know her parents?"

"Yes Naruto-kun," This time the old Sarutobi spoke up, "I knew her father quite well myself. He was the Uzukage. Unlike the Kage system of other villages, the Uzukage was more like royalty, you were born into the title. Your grand father was effectively a king, and your mother was more or less a princess." Naruto stood there confused as he took in this information, only to be interrupted as the voice of his cousin entered his ears for the first time.

"What the fuck?! You mean that blond shit-stain is a fucking prince?!" Naruto's eyes widened, not at her volume, or interruption, but at the simple fact that he hadn't even heard Jonin talking like that.

Darious spoke again, this time to Tayuya, "Yes Tayuya-chan," a tick mark formed on her head but kept her mouth shut, "Naruto is technically royalty, even here, but the villagers have no idea, nor will they until Naruto is at least a Chunin in rank." Tayuya let the name and her anger go before curiosity caught up.

"Wait, you said in rank, are you implying that he's already fucking Chunin level in skills?"

Jiraiya placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up at him as he simply nodded his head. "If he wanted to, and went all out, the gaki could take on a standing Chunin in a "fair" fight."

Tayuya huffed as she crossed her arms under her developing bust, which made Naruto blush a little before looking over to Darious. "I'll believe that when I fucking see it. So where do I get to stay? It's not going to be some piece of shit tenement is it?" Naruto flinched at that, remembering his housing arrangement before Tsume took him in.

"No, we will find you a suitable apartment, it will likely be a small one bed room, or even one room apartment till we can get you through your rank testing, probationary period, and get you into the active ninja forces. Does that sound acceptable?"

"I guess, but I better not be near any fucking perverts! If I get stuck living next to one I will fucking castrate them before I feed them their tiny little balls!" Kakashi, Jiraiya, and lastly Hiruzen all let off a small shudder before Hiruzen spoke up.

"I'll make sure to have the area checked before you move in. For now, I'm sure that we can get you a room at the Inuzuka compound where Naruto stays."

Tayuya raised her brow at that. "Why's the shithead staying at another fucking clan's compound? If he's a damn prince, where the fuck is HIS estate?"

"Tayuya-san, that is a very complicated problem, and that problem requires Naruto-kun's approval before I will inform you about it." Hiruzen looked over to Naruto, who thought about it for a moment before speaking up.

"Jiji, she's family, and you don't keep secrets from family." Hiruzen smiled and nodded.

"First I need to ask, do you know what a jinchuriki is?" Tayuya cautiously nodded, having heard Orochimaru speak about them every now and then. "Do you hold any hatred towards them?" This time she shook her head.

"He is one, isn't he?" The other occupants in the room were all suitably shocked at her lack of vulgarity or volume, Naruto came to his senses and spoke before any of the others could.

"Tayuya-chan, I'm the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. On the night of my birth, the biju some how escaped my mother's seal and attacked the village. My father gathered me up and proceeded to seal the Kyuubi inside me. He and my mother both died that night. Jiji also lost his wife that night." Naruto looked over to the elderly Sarutobi with an apologetic look, receiving a nod before continuing. "The villagers decided that I was the Kyuubi itself reduced to human form and took out their rage and sadness on me for the first few years of my life until Tsume-kaa-chan took me in. The civilian council managed to pass a law without Jiji getting the chance to stop it that prohibited my adoption. Tsume-kaa-chan got around that by simply having me do chores and giving me a place to live. By definition, I'm a servant in the eyes of the civilian council, so they let me be."

Naruto looked up to see that Tayuya had been watching him closely, taking everything in as he spoke. Jiraiya took the chance to speak up. "The thing is, the villagers only know him as Uzumaki, they so easily forgot his mother, but if they knew his full name, and who his father was... You see, Naruto is really Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze, the son of Kushina Uzumaki, The Red-hot Habanera, and Minato Namikaze, the Yondaime Hokage himself."

Tayuyua's eyes widened at that, 'The son of a Hokage and a princess. He really is a prince in the guise of a pauper!'

Sarutobi spoke up, catching their attention. "Naruto, you should get home, Tsume will likely be anxious to see you after being out so long." He smiled as Naruto nodded, then stepped up and gave a shocked Tayuya a hug.

"Talk to you later Tayuya-chan, I'll get your new address from Jiji, or you can come see me at home." He smiled and waved to the others and headed out of the office and closed the door.

"Now, let's get you set up with a place to stay shall we?" Hiruzen clapped his hands together.

**(Inuzuka home)**

Naruto walked into the house, hanging his jacket by the door and taking off his sandals before moving to the kitchen to get a drink. As he was finishing off a glass of water, he heard a voice behind him. "Naruto-kun?"

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And there we have it, chapter 10. I know it's mostly dialogue... and some lemon, and a little short, but I figured that this is what was needed right now. So, please Read and Review. Give me your thoughts, opinions, likes or dislikes, but if you're going for the latter, please be kind about it, no flames if you don't mind.


	11. Chapter 11: Lions and Tigers and

Sorry this chapter took a little longer than normal. I've been going through the pre-hire proceedings for a new job. Also, depending on the schedule, my posting may... very likely WILL be changing up some, I'll let you know what's going on when it happens/next chapter.

Normal disclaimer: Darious Frost does no own Naruto or any of the characters. The only character that belongs to me is Darious.

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Chapter 11: Lions and Tigers and... Snakes? Oh My!

Sarutobi spoke up, catching their attention. "Naruto, you should get home, Tsume will likely be anxious to see you after being out so long," he smiled as Naruto nodded, then stepped up and gave a shocked Tayuya a hug.

"Talk to you later Tayuya-chan, I'll get your new address from Jiji, or you can come see me at home," he smiled and waved to the others before heading out of the office.

"Now then, let's get you set up with a place to stay, shall we?" Hiruzen clapped his hands together.

**(Inuzuka home)**

Naruto walked into the house, hanging his jacket by the door and taking off his sandals before moving towards the kitchen to get a drink. As he was finishing off a glass of water, he heard a voice behind him. "Naruto-kun?"

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Naruto righted himself and landed in a skid after he was blown away from his team. He knew that wind wasn't natural, especially in this kind of forested area. 'There's no way that was a natural wind; that had to be a fuuton jutsu! But who used it?' he thought as panic entered his mind as he realized that whoever used that jutsu now had his team back there one man down. 'Damn it... gotta get back to Sakura-chan and the Teme!' Naruto took a sniff of the air to see if they were still in the same area that the jutsu hit them at. He quickly found their scent, but then another, more dangerous scent hit his olfactory as a massive shadow loomed over him. Turning around, Naruto was greeted by the sight of giant snake looming over him with a hungry glint in its eyes. "Kuso..."

**(With Sakura and Sasuke)**

Sakura stood beside Sasuke, both glaring at the Kusa kunoichi that stood before them only moments ago where their teammate did. Sakura nearly threw a fit when Sasuke threw a kunai at the disguised nin, until Sasuke pointed out that the imposter had left off Naruto's old verbal tic like they had all agreed upon before entering the forest. The kunoichi stood before them quietly smirking as Sakura wondered how much more creepy this person could get, until it was quickly answered for her.

"You two want my earth scroll to complete your set, don't you?" She smirked and licked her lips. What she did next was completely revolting as she wrapped her tongue around the scroll and pushing it down her throat. Sasuke stood there shocked, while Sakura was more disgusted by the overtly lewd act. "Now, shall we proceed with the fight for each other's scroll," she paused for a moment and reached up, pulling down her bottom eye lid and continued, "with our lives on the line?" In that instant, Sasuke and Sakura froze in place, images of their own, bloody and gruesome deaths at the hands of this kunoichi flashed before their eyes. Images of their skin being flayed, their bones shattered, and kunai imbedded in every nerve cluster around their body before the merciful killing of a kunai between their eyes.

Sasuke shook himself out of the images, looking up at the enemy nin, who was just standing there completely calm and unmoving. Sasuke quickly emptied his stomach on the ground in front of himself. 'This... isn't a genjutsu... she did that with just the killing intent from one of her eyes... what the hell is she?!' "Sakura..." Looking over at her, Sasuke was shocked to see her trembling and crying uncontrollably. "We need to get the hell out of here... all that's left here is death!"

"You can't even move anymore..." the kunoichi smirked as Sasuke stood there trembling with a kunai in hand. In a blur of motion, her hand shot up and a pair of kunai sped at Sakura before the two teens vanished. Walking to where they had been standing, she looked down to a small pool of blood and smirked. "You overrode fear with pain; good… he's not an ordinary pray." She licked her lips as her smirk grew to nearly perverse scales.

**(with Naruto and the snake)**

Naruto worked hard to suppress his panic as he now found himself inside the massive snake that managed to "sneak up" behind him. 'Not good... can't spin, all my kunai did was get me covered in blood... I have to get him to throw me up... or I die.' The snake laid happily where the sun was streaming down though a small gap in the trees, waiting for its latest meal to stop moving. 'How can I get it to throw me up... smoke bombs would just suffocate me... my explosive tags would just kill me and maybe just give it heart burn... Kiba would have died laughing at that one. I've got it!' Naruto quickly lifted his hands into a well practiced sign.

The snake's eyes suddenly shot open as it tried to push Naruto out of itself, but it was too late as its body started to bulge and balloon to epic proportions before letting out a pained hiss and exploded in half. Blood, tissue, and a multitude of Narutos rained down upon the clearing, puffing away as they fell to the ground, all but one that is. The real Naruto landed on his feet, albeit wobbly for a moment, before straightening himself up. "Damn snake bastard..." shaking himself of some of the "juice" and blood that covered him, Naruto went to sniff out his friends, only to be overwhelmed by the stench of the snake. "kuso" Naruto headed off in the direction that he flew, hoping to get there in time to help.

Naruto found a stream on his way back and quickly jumped into it, cleaning himself, and his clothes, of the various fluids from the snake, hoping that he'd be able to smell again after he did. Climbing out of the water, Naruto took a testing sniff. 'Damn it... I still smell that snake, but at least I can smell Sakura-chan and the Teme now.' Smiling, Naruto took off at high speed, following his nose to his friends. Panic started to well up inside him as he started to smell blood; fearing for his friends, Naruto poured on the speed. Since the scent of blood was getting stronger, he knew that he was getting closer to his teammates. Naruto heard Sakura shouting, then an eerie sounding voice that sent shivers down his spine.

"You're relaxing? Prey should never relax; instead, they should try as hard as they can to run away when a predator is nearby." The mysterious ninja quickly started "slithering" towards Sasuke, coming out of the snake corpse that landed on said branch. However, before he could do anything to the Last Uchiha, he was quickly stopped by several shuriken. These weapons were just a few inches from where her head would have been a second later, forcing her to look where the weapons came from.

Naruto crouched in a rather predatory stance of his own. "Sorry I'm late Sakura-chan, and I'm not saying that poem... 'ttebayo..." Though he didn't want to, he gave in and used the tic to at least let them know it was the real him. "So, that giant pain in the ass snake was yours then, you smell alike."

Sakura's eyes lit up with joy as she saw him show up, "great job Naruto-kun!"

Sasuke, on the other hand, had a hint of panic and fear in his voice. "I know you think you're cool by doing that and being in that pose, but you need to run! This person is on a completely different level!"

Draped on the branch almost lazily like the snakes she summoned, the mysterious Kusa nin looked up at Naruto. "My, my, looks like you won against that giant snake... Naruto-kun," she giggled in a soft, but very creepy way, as she looked on.

Taking another whiff of the area, Naruto took a moment to ponder over the situation. 'And here I thought it was just the remains of the snake that I couldn't get off me…seems more like she smells of snakes, or they of her. Either way…right now she looks a lot like one.'

Sasuke stood there, staring at the nin before them, 'even with Naruto here, making it three to one, we're still out matched and she'll kill all three of us. The only way...' Deactivating his sharingan, Sasuke reached into his pouch and pulled out their scroll. "Here, I'll just give you the scroll; we don't need to fight anymore, just... take it and go... please." Naruto and Sakura's eyes widened at that.

"Kukuku, very intelligent move Sasuke-kun, give the predator another meal to escape alive," smirking as she looked at the teens.

Sasuke drew back his arm and threw the scroll, only for it to be intercepted by Naruto. Quickly flashing back towards Sasuke, he punched him hard in the stomach, sending him backwards, impacting with the trunk of the tree and shocking Sakura. "Does your fear really make you this stupid Sasuke?! What makes you think that she won't just kill us anyway, just for the fun of it?!"

The kunoichi started to chuckle darkly at that before licking her lips with that abnormally long tongue again. "How astute of you, Naruto-kun, especially since I can simply kill you and take the scroll anyway!" she rolled up her sleeve to reveal a strange, serpentine tattoo on her left wrist as she spoke. She then bit her thumb as she finished speaking and smeared the blood across the tattoo. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" In a massive blast of smoke, the kunoichi was now standing atop a massive snake, at least three times larger than the one Naruto faced not too long ago. "You can go ahead and eat the blond" she said as the giant snake seemed to smirk at that and lunged at Naruto. A few moments later, Naruto was no longer beside Sasuke, but instead at the snout of the snake and rapidly spinning.

"EAT SHIT!" Sticking his leg out, Naruto used the momentum of his rotation to slam his foot down into the snout of the snake. The kunoichi stood there, eyes wide in shock at the impact and quickly glanced at Naruto's now red eyes before the summon got sent slamming to the ground chin first through a couple of branches.

Sakura looked on from the sides, eyes wide at what Naruto had just done, 'Naruto-kun... how... did he get so strong?' she also suddenly felt rather damp between her thighs, though she quickly put that to the back of her mind. Seeing the snake suddenly pop back up with the kunoichi on its head, the kunoichi held a hand up to her mouth before letting loose a powerful blast of wind that hit Naruto head on, sending him crashing back first into a tree.

The kunoichi smirked as the snake turned towards Sasuke now, "Your turn Sasuke-kun, what will you do now?" The snake lunged at Sasuke, who stood there frozen in fear of the massive serpent that was speeding towards him. Sakura screamed out his name in panicked concern and warning, only to grow silent as, in a flash, Naruto now stood before the still frozen Sasuke. The snake's nose was pressed up against his back, his arms spread with a kunai in each hand, both sunk to the handle into the snout of the massive snake as it laid still, it's snout driven into the branch and staring promised death at the genin before it. The snake's summoner stood with a bemused look at what just happened. Sakura stood there motionless as well, her eyes wide in near disbelief, feeling that dampness from before once again.

Naruto stood there for a couple seconds, the pause accommodated by the shock of all those present, his head hanging before he spoke, "You alright there... Scaredy-cat?"

Sasuke stood there for a moment before the comment sank in 'Scaredy-cat? I'm not a scaredy-cat, I'm Sasuke Uchiha, last loyal Uchiha in Konohagakure, I'm a brave, fearless shinobi... but... why can't I move when Naruto did all of that, even in the face of this enemy that froze me in place?' He was snapped out of his thoughts as their enemy's tongue wrapped around Naruto, yanking him up to face her.

"So it's true then, the nine-tailed brat is still alive after all," lifting his shirt under his opened jacket and looking down, "and it seems that when you get emotional, your seal is visible. my, my...," purple flames appeared on the tips of her fingers and thumb for a moment before gaining an evil smirk and slamming her finger tips into Naruto's gut, right over his seal. "Gogyo Fuin!" Naruto's face contorted into a silent scream before slumping over her hand as she held him aloft. She quickly went into his pouch and dug out the earth scroll, then roughly threw Naruto into the trunk behind her.

"Naruto-kun!" Sakura saw Naruto flying with nothing but ground underneath the trunk he was about to slam into. Thinking quickly, she launched a kunai that caught his coat and held him safely against the trunk. She then turned to see Sasuke still standing where he had been before, frozen in what she knew was terror. "Damn it Sasuke, WAKE UP! I know you think that you're better than Naruto-kun, but there you are, frozen in place while he risks his life to save you and myself, to keep our scroll. He was right, you're a COWARD!"

Sasuke quickly blinked, his sharingan blazing back to life as both eyes now held a pair of tomoe in them. Their enemy smirked as she saw this as well before wiping the blood from the tattoo on her arm, causing the massive snake to vanish in another puff of smoke. As the smoke cleared, Sasuke quickly drew out an assortment of weapons before aiming them at his opponent. Throwing the large shuriken, she quickly noticed the pair of kunai striking to the left and right of her as she dodged. When she looked back, she saw a thin strand of wire going from the two weapons back to loop around behind the tree at Sasuke's back. The thing that caught her eye; however, was the wire that lead from the shuriken back to Sasuke's clenched teeth. Smirking lightly, she quickly spun and caught the shuriken in her mouth, arrogantly thinking as to how easily she had thwarted his attack. Looking back towards her prey, her eyes widened when she saw Sasuke with his hands in a seal and an evil smile gracing his features.

"Katon: Ryuka no Jutsu!" Fire rushed down the wire to the kunoichi's face before engulfing her entire head in fire. Sasuke dropped to a branch, breathing heavily as he watched the enemy nin stand there, face ablaze. Sakura landed next to him as she looked on, appreciative of his ability to pull himself together and attack again until the nin spoke up in a now masculine voice, sounding as if he were completely unhurt.

"My, my, using the sharingan that well at such a young age, you truly do carry the Uchiha's boiling blood." Looking up, they saw their enemy's face charred, melted, and peeling away to reveal the cheek and eye of a completely different person. "I want you even more now…" Reaching up and placing his hand over his hitai-ate, a soft sizzling was heard. Sasuke and Sakura both froze in place, unable to move like they had been earlier. "I enjoyed testing the extent of your powers; I sense that yours will surpass even Itachi's, given time."

At this, Sasuke broke from his frozen shock and barked out, "Just who the hell are you?!"

The mysterious nin's face took on a stern and cold look before announcing "I am Orochimaru, if you wish to see me again, survive this exam" He held out their scroll and set it ablaze like his face had been moments ago. Of course, you will also confront and defeat my men, the sound nin trio."

Sakura was pissed now; watching the scroll burn and then hearing this "Orochimaru" tell them that they would be facing his men later. "The hell you talking about?! We never want to see you, or your men, ever again!"

Chuckling darkly as he placed his hands into an odd seal resembling a tiger seal, "oh, but you will, it's what I want," He said cryptically before his neck lengthened and shot across the gap between them and sank his teeth into Sasuke's neck, retracting them just as quickly. "Oh, and Sasuke-kun WILL seek me out; he will do so for power." a small tri-tomoe brand appeared beside the bite marks before Sasuke simply doubled over in pain, groaning and crying out in agony.

Quickly turning in rage at her teammate's pain, Sakura shouted, "What the hell did you do to him?!"

Orochimaru was already half sunken into the branch by the time she turned to see him slowly vanishing into the branch, he let out a near perverse chuckle, "I simply gave Sasuke-kun a little going away gift," He explained darkly, completely vanishing into the tree before Sakura turned at the sound of Sasuke's scream. She turned to Naruto, hoping for him to help her with Sasuke, only to find him still unconscious, hanging from the kunai she used to keep him from falling to the forest floor below. She slowly broke down into tears, seeing both the boy that she started gaining feelings for, and the boy that she once claimed to love now unconscious. 'W... what do I do?'

**(Central Tower 2 days later)**

"Go find Naruto and bring him to me," a pigeon masked ANBU bowed to Hiruzen and left to find the newly arrived genin.

"I'm so proud of the gaki, he lived through a fight with my old teammate," the old toad sage said as he leaned against the window in the upper level meeting room that he now shared with his teacher, his student, and one Anko Mitarashi.

"I'm quite frankly surprised he let Naruto-kun and the Haruno girl live," Hiruzen exclaimed as he puffed a little more of his pipe. He looked over at Darious, who sat quietly on one of the couches, reading over a file while Anko leaned against him, trying her best to get him to react. Anko looked up from her rubbing and moving as she heard this.

"He has to want something from one of them then, and I'm willing to bet that it's the Uchiha," She said venomously as all the men quickly shared a look before Darious closed the folder and looked over at her.

"What makes you believe that?" Hiruzen and Jiraiya both looked to her as well, wondering about her insight on the situation, especially considering her time spent with, and under, the renegade sannin.

"That slimy bastard always expressed that he wanted to learn more and more jutsu. By the time he gave me this damn hickey of his," she spat, giving motion that she was talking about her seal. "By the way, thanks for looking it over and putting that new seal on it," she added which earned a nod from Darious and Jiraiya. "he'd expressed several times his envy towards the Uchiha and how he could easily obtain every jutsu if only he had their eyes. This leads me to think that he wants young Sasuke's eyes to do just that." Hiruzen and Jiraiya both nodded in agreement with her theory.

Darious was about to speak up when there was a knock at the door before it opened, Pigeon and a dirty, injured looking, Naruto. "Hi Jiji, Jiraiya-oji, Dar-nii... crazy instructor lady..." the last bit grumbled, but still heard by Anko and rewarded with a tic mark. "What's up?"

"We understand that you ran into Orochimaru out there. Are you okay?" Hiruzen stepped over and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm fine, though he did something with his fingers and slammed them into my gut, it screwed with my chakra, my control and I ended up blacking out for the rest of the night. Sakura says that..." Jiraiya interrupted him after hearing the first part.

"Naruto, lift your shirt for me and expose your seal." Naruto nodded before pulling off his jacket, then lifting his shirt.

"I haven't been able to talk to Kurama since I got hit either." He sounded a bit down as he said that. Jiraiya nodded as he looked over Naruto's seal. After finishing, he grumbled when he saw that there was a new seal placed on top of Naruto's original seal.

"It's no wonder you can't, he placed a seal on you when he hit you, and it looks like the Gogyo Fuin. You remember the basics for even and odd sealing techniques right, Naruto?" Jiriaya asked as he glanced up to the boy for a moment before looking back to the seal and thinking about how to remove it without disturbing the Hakke no Fuin Shiki.

Naruto's face took on a mask of concentration as he tried to remember the lessons that Darious, and sometimes Jiraiya himself, had given him on fuinjutsu. "If you place an odd numbered seal over an even, it will disrupt the original seal?" more asking than stating, hoping that he was remembering the lesson correctly.

Jiraiya nodded before his fingertips lit up in blue flames. "That's right; it completely sealed Kurama's chakra from mixing with yours, and killed your control. Okay Gaki, this is going to hurt a bit, but you'll feel much better afterwords, okay?" Naruto gave an uneasy nod as Jiraiya drew his hand back a bit. "On three, okay?" Naruto nodded again. "Three, Gogyo Kaiin!" Jiraiya slammed his hand into the seal, much to Naruto's unprepared surprise, causing Hiruzen and Anko to chuckle as Darious just shook his head at Naruto's misfortune.

Naruto grumbled breathlessly from his slumped over position on the floor, "I hate you..."

"Oh shut up and shake it off. Now hop up and see if you can channel chakra properly again," Jiraiya ordered as he patted Naruto's back for a minute as he recovered. Naruto stood up before quickly creating a shadow clone that then henged into a copy of Kuromaru before puffing away. "Looks like you're good to go again."

Hiruzen took a puff of his pipe for a moment before speaking. "Now, normally, this kind of action would not be permitted, and you'd have been disqualified for the action, BUT, since this seal was placed by a non-contestant, and an enemy jonin at that, it will be permitted under the witness of myself and three jonin witnesses. Now, my boy, you had something else to say before you were interrupted?"

Naruto thought for a second before his eyes widened a little as he remembered, "Oh yeah, Sakura told me that after I got knocked out, that creepy bastard's neck stretched out and bit the Teme on the neck. She said that a few moments later, a weird brand looking thing formed on his neck and he doubled over in pain and passed out too. She says that when the group from Oto attacked when we were passed out, Sasuke woke up with this purple chakra swirling around him and these black flame marks that spread across his skin." Anko's eyes slowly grew wider and wider with each passing description.

"Gaki, did that mark look like this?" She reached up and exposed her Ten no Juin for him. He nodded when he saw it.

"Exactly like that, same placement too." Naruto had a puzzled and curious look on his face as he wondered how she got one as well.

"That slimy pedo bastard! He's given the Uchiha the Ten no Juin as well... most likely much more advanced than the one he gave me, since I was the first, but just as bad, if not worse. He'll likely be able to eventually corrupt the boy and seduce him with the promise of power. We all know he wants to kill Itachi," Naruto looked a little confused at this, but stayed quiet for now. "If he can convince the boy that he can give him power he can't get here, he'll likely split and join the bastard as soon as he can!"

Darious looked at Naruto. "Where is Sasuke right now Naruto?"

"Um, with Kakashi-sensei I think, why?"

"Anbu" A pair of the masked nin appeared kneeling before Hiruzen, Naruto got a smirk and reached slowly, and quietly, for one of their masks, only to have his hand swatted a little too playfully by the purple haired anbu with a cat themed mask, who seemed to be smirking under her mask just as much as Naruto had been at first before turning back to the Hokage. "I need you to bring Hatake and the Uchiha boy here for me."

A few minutes later, the anbu returned with Kakashi and Sasuke in tow. "You wanted to see us Hokage-sama?" Kakashi eye smiled as he entered, noting the presence of the others in the room already.

Sasuke, feeling arrogant and cranky already piped up. "What's he doing here? If this is a team matter, why isn't Sakura here?"

"Calm yourself Uchiha, and show us the seal," Jiraiya spoke up, noting both men's eyes widen when he said that. He waited for a moment before leveling a glare at the boy before Kakashi nudged him to move forward. As he got there, Jiraiya pulled at the collar of Sasuke's shirt to see that Kakashi already used the Fuja Hoin on the mark. Jiraiya tsked at Kakashi. "I know that you were my student's student Kakashi, but that doesn't mean that you are as good as he was. No offense, but this is rather sloppy. Don't worry, I'll leave it there... BUT, Darious and I will be adding to it in a moment. Darious, get the materials ready for the Kakuri Aku no Fuin." Kakashi's eyes grew a little, not from surprise, but for the fact that he was about to witness a sealing technique on a level that he had only seen Minato rarely use. "I'm not going to lie to you boy, this WILL hurt…"

XxXxXxX

Jutsu list/translation:

Kuchiose no Jutsu ~ Summoning Techniques

Gogyo Fuin ~ Five Elements Seal (The "Five Elements" referred to in the name of this technique are the Chinese Five Elements, the _Five Movements: _Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth)

Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu ~ Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique

Hakke no Fuin Shiki ~ Eight Trigrams Sealing Style

Gogyo Kaiin ~ Five Elements Unseal

Ten no Juin ~ Cursed Seal of Heaven

Fuja Hoin ~ Evil Sealing Method

Kakuri Aku no Fuin ~ Isolation of Evil Seal (If anyone can give me a better translation, drop me a note please)

XxXxXxX

Okay, so there is chapter 11, I hope that you all like it, it took me rewriting it 5 times before I was satisfied. I know that I skipped over a LOT, but it's been done to death. It actually cut over 7 chapters of extra stuff from this.

Until next time my friends, Read and review please.


	12. Not a Chapter Public Announcement

Hey everyone, I'm sorry that this isn't an update, but I didn't want to leave you all in the dark.

Due to things that have been going on in my life I humbly ask that you all be patient for another week while I get things together and finish up chapter 12.

Please don't post any reviews for this place holder announcement chapter since I will be replacing it with the real chapter 12. If you have any comments, questions, anything you want to talk to me about really... send me a PM.

Thank you for your patience with me over the past few weeks, I hopefully won't make you wait much longer than I already have.


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